Inevitable Reality
by axsce
Summary: He had been first confessed to when he was eleven. He hated it. Now, he's left with no knowledge on how to approach love, even when it's right in front of him.
1. Chapter 1

Inevitable Reality.

Uchiha Sasuke noticed the piece of paper fly across that landed on his desk. He mentally rolled his eyes. Did people really not have the balls to just confront a person directly on their feelings anymore? He had one too many situations where girls would find strange ways to confront him about how they felt about him. And he could care less, really. Because he didn't need a girlfriend. Sure, he looked at girls, but that was that. That's how the mind of a sixteen year old teenage guy worked. And he admitted that. But no girl was catching his eye as of now, and he'll be damned if it never happened.

Because he didn't _care_. He didn't need some girl accusing him of cheating because of the rest of the wild fangirls who constantly harassed him to the point where even a restraining order didn't hold them all back. He didn't need to spend his money on a female who could pay for themselves; he was no gentlemen, and he wasn't going to change his persona for a girl. He wasn't going to go out of his way and change himself for the sake pleasing the opposite sex.

Hell to the _fuck_ no was that going to happen.

He wasn't the type of guy who could deal with girls during their times of the month either. He wouldn't know what to do if a girl just started breaking down in front of him. In fact, if he was placed in said situation, he'd just turn and walk away and leave it at that.

Refusing to open the note that was clearly for him considering how it was in pink Sharpie and his name was written rather sloppy with a heart at the end; he flicked it so that it reached the floor all the way across the room. He could've sworn he heard a girl sniffle behind him, but chose to not react to it. He didn't care.

Girlfriends were like prizes in the guy's mind. They were usually shown off.

"Oh, how far did you go with Ino?"

"Not much, her dad caught me in the middle of taking off her shirt." Nara Shikamaru had shrugged. "It wasn't worth the effort anymore, troublesome. She dumped me because I didn't announce my undying love for her to her dad about how much she meant to me. Hah."

Chouji whistled, while chewing on his chips. "At least you can proud fully say you dated her! She ignores any of my calls." The fat guy sighed sadly, but that died in a span of ten seconds as he resumed eating his chips with a smile on his fat face.

Sasuke not only felt uncomfortable, but also annoyed at how loud the guys in front of him were speaking on terms of sexual activities. In fact, the idea of ever having to go past kissing a girl frightened the teen a bit. Sure, he could call girls attractive, but that didn't mean he thought of getting into their pants. No sir, he had class.

Also, he thought sex was disgusting. So the guy remains asexual. If he really wanted an easy hook up, he could've opened the love note, but you know, he didn't need girls flinging themselves at him. If he was ever going to be interested into a girl, he would approach her first, damn it. But unfortunately, the girls at his school didn't get that through their thick skulls.

"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto called next to him, poking him on his arm. Annoyed, the dark-haired boy turned to him, clearly with an irritated facial expression that was composed of a frown and an arched brow.

"What?"

"Are you going to Sakura's party?"

"No." He didn't need to be surrounded by intoxicated sluts and idiots. He wasn't a huge fan of alcohol, either. Why couldn't the people who declared him as a friend (Although the majority of the time the feelings weren't mutual) act their age and not irresponsible? It actually sickened him how fucked up his generation was.

"But Teme! You promised!" Naruto pleaded, leaning in so far in his seat that his elbows were on the Uchiha's desk.

"When did I say such a thing?" He muttered to himself, rubbing his temples. He didn't need this. He didn't deserve this. He had always wondered if highschoolers ever just hung out in a basement and listened to music and just talked until three in the morning like they do in those seemingly realistic movies he'd come across on Netflix.

Because really, did he want to come back home so late smelling of marijuana, alcohol, and sweat of girls grinding up against him? Not really. It was bad that one of them was extremely unappealing, but to smell of the three combined? The thought made his stomach churn.

"Just, please go! Please!" The blond whined. "You don't have to drink, I know you don't like it, just go, Sakura said she'd kiss me if you did!" He pouted, his hands out and everything, practically begging on his knees while somehow sitting in his seat, although completely leaned out of its reach.

"Fine." Whatever got the idiot to shut up. "But you owe me."

"Sure, sure, just as long as you by there by nine tonight at her place!" He grinned. Sasuke felt like slapping himself. His Friday night was being wasted at Haruno Sakura's home. Great. And it wasn't like she was bad; she was intelligent…somewhat, decent to look at, kind, and all and all, a great girl, but she was just so controlling.

To use Naruto to get him to go to her lame party was an example in itself. Not to mention how she always claimed she was in love with him, which not only pissed him off (Because she really wasn't), but also because she tried way too hard to gain his attention, which she would never, ever succeed into doing so.

Yes, he was _so_ looking forward to his Friday night of peace and quiet ruined and replaced with loud music and seeing teens making out on tables and hallways. Truly excited.

* * *

><p>And by excited, he meant dreadful. Arriving at her huge mansion—well, it wasn't as big as <em>his<em> family's was—with an animate Naruto talking the entire drive there, he felt the need to try to control his anger and just beating the shit out of his best friend for being so annoying. Still, he _was_ his best friend, so he decided against it. And if it meant going so that he'd get a chance to not only find happiness in the girl he's loved since they were kids, but as well as getting Sakura to stop obsessing over him, then simply walking around a party was worth it.

Walking through the doors in only a brick red pull over and some black loose skinny jeans, he wandered about to find a comfort zone as the blond boldly made his way to be the center of attention amongst the teens towards Sakura to regain his kiss for bringing the Uchiha who clearly didn't want to be here. Walking up the stairs and over either passed out drunk teens or just girls giving guys free shows, he snuck his way into a seemingly empty and obscure room from the loudness of the music.

Which he unfortunately could still hear. He tripped over someone and cursed rather loudly. "Shit."

He heard the person wince under him and he intently widened his eyes, fixating them on who the hell was on the floor for him to not notice in the first place. She was pretty pale, he noticed. Maybe paler than he. The lightness from the moon inflicted light into the room, but only slightly. Her hair was a violet-indigo dark, long past her elbows, and she had uneven bangs that hovered over her huge, white eyes.

He was sure he'd seen a pair of them around school at least some point, but couldn't pinpoint it out.

Whatever, why would it matter? The girl caused him to fall. Instead of wandering who the hell she was, he should be angry. "Why the hell were you on the floor?" He demanded. Here, he was searching for some peace and quiet. He was initially planning on just sticking around alone in the room and read a book on one of the tall shelves or something for an hour and then heading out. Because parties weren't his scene.

He honestly preferred the library over these annoying gettogethers.

But any plans of being in solitude were foiled by nothing but the female species. Girls were just on another level of stupid in his book. He hated how annoyingly spiteful they were. And this girl, a girl who was clearly nervous and scared, was just making onto his number one list of people he disliked. Moreover, it wasn't even because of the fact he tripped over her and was now knelt on top of her, but because she refused to answer his question.

"C-could you get off of me?" Her timid voice whispered. The redness on the meek girl's cheeks was bright as crimson, but he couldn't really tell because of how dark it was, thank Kami. Otherwise, she would've fainted.

"Not until you answer my question."

She furrowed her eyebrows. She didn't like where this was going. Why did it even matter? It was his fault for not paying attention to her placement on the floor anyway! And she didn't deem it any of his business on her personal life.

Still, she was intimated because of the fact that a _male_ was so close to her. She felt it hard to breathe at this very moment, and he was a stranger, no less. Kiba or Shino? Sure. They're the only guys she could ever be completely comfortable with. Neji? Yeah, why not? But this guy? A rude and arrogant guy who she just met? Of course not.

"I don't like the loud m-music."

"Well, neither do I, but that still doesn't fully explain why you had to be on the floor when you could hear it even louder with your ear against the floor as you were before I tripped over you." He was amused by the weird girl's pitiful excuse.

"Well I didn't w-want to be on the bed either, who knows w-who slept on it and if they were…you know…or not." She mumbled silently.

Briefly, he laughed. Briefly. "Point taken. I suppose you want me to get off?" Immediately, she nodded. He wasn't sure whether to be grateful that she wasn't a fangirl, or offended that she didn't want him close to her. His ego was certainly not going to be crushed by a strange girl with weird eyes.

He flipped himself off of her, lying next to her, with a huge distance between both of their bodies. They were sprawled against the cold floor, just staring at the ceiling. He wondered if this was what peacefulness really felt like. He was also wondering if she was going to speak soon. Or introduce herself.

Should he initiate it? Or should he just keep silent and enjoy the atmosphere of how quiet it was and how little he spoke? But that sort of upset him. Her voice wasn't aggravating like most. Sure, her stutter could be fixed, but she seemed tolerable. Though she probably didn't want anything to do with him, and he was most likely never going to see her again. He wondered why Sakura invited the girl in the first place. She obviously—along with himself—didn't belong in the scenario that was a party filled with drunk, horny teenagers.

She seemed quiet and easily frightened. Weak, even. But maybe names weren't necessary. Maybe he could just be himself without scaring her off even more if he were to introduce himself. He lifted his hood over his face, to shield his identity. She sure didn't mind the silence. In fact, from the corner of his eye, she had hers closed and a small smile on her face. Well, from where he was staring, she seemed cute.

But only a bright light could confirm his assumptions. It was still dark as hell and he really couldn't tell what she looked like besides her easily distinctable eyes.

He could hear her hum a tune he was fairly familiar with, but fought the urge to ask if he was correct on it. The rhyme of her hushed voice followed and soon even he turned to face her as her humming grew softer, as if she never spoke out in the first place.

Now this was what he had wanted to do with someone. He was glad she was a stranger, otherwise it would've been awkward if he was doing with silent thing with any of his other loud "friends".

The silence was calming, he easily blocked out the booming music from downstairs, and she wasn't talking like girls usually do. But she was humming. And the tune was so on-point and completely correct. It surprised him that she knew the song, really.

And she resumed humming. He should've brought his guitar or something. Not that he was very good at it—he was still an amateur—but he knew that song by heart, and at this very moment, he felt like sharing with her his fingers grazing over the strings while listening to her humming flow along with it.

He didn't turn away like she had. He was staring at her. She was barefoot, for some reason. He honestly didn't bother to ask because it just added to her genuine weirdness. And he sort of admired how strange she was compared to any other female he had ever encountered. He wanted to ask her if she went to a close nearby or something. For some reason, he wanted to know the person who not only knew good music but also knew how to act her age.

She was wearing skinny jean capris that reached above her knees only slightly, tightened to show how small and thin her calves were, and dark olive green plaid shirt with a dark navy tank under, her shirt unbuttoned to show.

She ended up changing the song and began to hum something else, with her fingers thumping actively against her flat stomach. She was tiny. Her toes were curling as she reached a high pitch of her soft murmurs, and she would occasionally pause to blow strands of her thin and short bangs from poking her beige eyes.

She was the epitome of weird.

"You live around here?" He for some reason, called out.

She turned to him, her cheeks flushing. Again, he couldn't really tell. "Yes and no."

"Elaborate." He couldn't find himself from not speaking to her. If she didn't live in the area, he'd probably never see her again. Well, her eyes. Her face was still a blur. But it seemed ironic that someone wasn't annoying (Well at first she was) in this terrible town. He for some reason loathed it. And he wanted to take advantage of the only person who wasn't as idiotic as everyone else.

"I do live in the area, but only from Spring to Fall." She replied. "My family and I travel to the west coast of America during the winter. I hate the cold, but despite that, it's so nice to look at."

"Then stay this year." He offered. School exams were approaching, and once those were over and done with, he wouldn't have school until August. It was already late May and he was actually looking very forward to just staying indoors and sleeping. Or reading. Or avoiding Naruto all summer. Because really, if he hung out with the guy for three solid months, he was sure his stupidity would rub off on him.

She laughed quietly. "I would, but even if I wanted to, I couldn't. Family values and blah, blah, b-blah."

"You stutter a lot."

"H-habit." She admittedly shrugged, chewing on her lower lip. "S-sorry if it's annoying. I honestly can't help it."

"Hn."

The obnoxious laughter was heard outside the room in the hallway of the huge home, followed by smashing of what could've been an expensive article Sakura's parents owned. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the sounds coming from within the walls. It was surreal that those same people were in his age group, or younger.

"They're annoying."

"I agree." She said with a light laugh.

He couldn't really remember why he was still here. Or remember the last time he had a light-hearted conversation with someone, no less a girl in this case, before. Really, it was weird. "Why are you even here? You seem like you don't like it." She said as she turned to face him.

He still hadn't move his position from facing her. "I could ask you the same."

"My friend Kiba said I should go. But he ditched me to t-talk to girls. So I just came up here to take a nap."

"Through all this screaming? As if that were achievable."

"I'll have you know, prior to you falling on t-top of me, I was sound asleep." She boldly said with such firmness he didn't think such a petite girl possessed.

"I'll try to take your word for it." He said. "Your name?"

"I'm Hinata. S-s-sorry, I didn't catch yours."

"Do you have a difficult time pronouncing the letter 's'?"

"S-sorta." She laughed again. Her laugh was really cute.

But he wasn't going to openly admit so. "Sasuke."

"O-oh I know you! I've seen you around a few times, I think. Your family always come for dinner." She said. "Well, nice to actually meet y-you."

Sasuke merely grunted. He wasn't really found of speaking such…civil words. In reality, he never was thankful for _any _person he had ever come across. It just didn't suit him.

"Why are you barefoot?"

It had been bugging him since he noticed.

She squirmed a bit and looked uneasy. "I lost t-them downstairs."

He wasn't going to press the matter, although he didn't like to think his new…acquaintance, to say the least, had to walk home barefoot. Heaven knows how far she must live from where they were currently located. Feeling a big guilty, he spoke up. "If you want, I can give you a ride home."

She laughed, swinging her hand into his face, although not necessarily close to it. "It's a-alright. I live right next door. I'll be fine."

"Ah." He was certain the neighbors were the Hyuuga residence. That would explain her peculiar eye-color.

"It's getting late, I'll head home." She said with a gentle smile. Honestly, it was beginning to make him feel uneasy just how carefree and lively she was acting. "I'll see you around, Sasuke. I had f-fun." With that, she walked out the door without turning back.

Before getting up to close the door, his best friend—while panting—jumped in. Well his calm night was died quickly.

"Teme! Did you…" He trailed off, eyebrows rising suggestively.

"Shut up!" Sasuke never raised his voice, unless he was embarrassed. Which he was. He just met her, for fuck's sake! ...well, sort of. Apparently they had already met, he just didn't pay enough attention to notice.

"But I saw a girl walk out of here! She was cute, too."

Why couldn't two opposite genders interact without people making it seem as though they were doing something they shouldn't be doing? Sasuke rolled his eyes. Yeah, his decent night definitely died way too soon.

* * *

><p><em>AN: _This is actually my first story where I know where it's heading. I'm so excited haha. I plan on writing really long chapters for this story, so review please! Tell me what you think! C:


	2. Chapter 2

It's a given she's weird.

And she probably can't help that. Well, he believes she can't. She seems content with whatever she does. She obviously keeps the thoughts and whispers of nearby classmates in the back of her mind. The way she practically bounced around in the decent-sized yet dull library said so. The fact that she was only wears socks and left her buckled uniform shoes by her table told you that she felt extremely comfortable in the silence filled with plenty of students either reading for fun, studying for a huge test next period, or just to sleep around to time instead of being in the loud cafeteria. She was the perfect example for exotically un-usual.

Right now, she was looking for something. Her brows furrowed as she twirled strands of her loose low side ponytail, nibbling on her lower lip for a title of something she probably doesn't need. Hyuugas are naturally intelligent, there's no way she's actually studying. By the look of disappointment on her face, he imagined that whatever craved to have her hands on wasn't there. But that soon changed as she twirled to behind her and checked that shelf instead. Her fingers drummed against dozens of spines, a soothing _thump_ as she progressed down the aisle.

Why was he even watching her? He only met her once! And spoke to her once no less. He wasn't even necessarily planning on getting to know her further! Sure, she was nice, and sure she was decently tolerable, but that doesn't mean they're friends. He has a strict "No girls" policy on that. Even so, she's probably the only female that could be an exception to that.

But Uchiha Sasuke had no people skills. Others fueled it _for_ him. He could be an asshole to you but you'd just take it as friendly terms. In fact, most people who speak to him believe he's irritable to his closest friends. But obviously, that isn't the case. He didn't and wouldn't know what to do if put into a situation to become acquainted with anyone. She was just lucky he didn't snap at her. Because really, she seemed pretty cool from the party.

But that party was nearly two weeks ago.

And he should probably get to lunch. He had been sitting at his empty table—no one _dared_ to ask him if they could sit there, that would be suicide—staring. And usually, he did this. Instead of losing his appetite to a bunch of apes who scream into your ear even when you're right next to them, or watch people older than you eat like pigs, he would just sit there and watch people. He figured, what the hell? Perhaps this could help with being more open-minded of my surroundings. He figured that maybe being a watcher would help him out in the long run. He could get into his college choice if he was friendly to the person interviewing him.

Get on their good side. Because let's face it, just because you have good grades doesn't mean a prestige college can't deny you entrance if you're a dick.

But he had long since halted watching anyone else _but_ him. And although no student in the silent room said anything, he could feel their stares, and could hear the low mumbles around the room. Whatever. They're pretty fucking dumb for having to study anyway. Studying is for those who struggle. He was no struggling maggot.

Observing girls applying makeup at their tables was aggravating—uh, hello, there are restrooms for that shit. No one wants to see you look stupid as fuck applying eye shadow. And what's the point of makeup for school anyway if you're wearing an ugly uniform that in no way compliments your eyes? Sasuke nearly rolled his eyes as one of them winked at him. So he changed his spot and decided to look around.

Well, there were some freshman playing what could've been Pokémon on their DS. They were huddled in a corner of the magazines section, giggling silently as they battled one another. Nerds. Sasuke had to roll his eyes at that.

And after shifting his vision to another object of persona, he spotted the girl he tripped over at the party. Now at remembering the events that occurred, he was almost certainly going to laugh at the irony. She wasn't wearing shoes just like the last time, only at the very least; she had long, knee-high white socks on. He _guessed_ that was okay. The carpet of the room wasn't dirty, if anything far from it. He just didn't think anyone would have the balls to do something so trivial. Well, he wasn't necessarily shocked _she_ was the one who did it, of all people, but he thought she was shy around others. Far from that.

She found her book, he presumed. This was amusing. Watching as her skirt lifted slightly revealing her slender, pale thighs as she inched closer to her novel on her toes. Yes, he was human. Uchiha Sasuke was a_ man_, of course he'd take a peek if given the opportunity. Even so, the whole visual was quite amusing. He would've laughed, but he didn't need to be scolded at for it. She had her tongue stuck out as she tried inching closer, and it got to the point where it aggravated him just how tiny she was. So, he got up, and walked over casually to take out the novel by its spine and placed it on her head.

She blinked and stared up. "Oh, hey, S-Sasuke." She smiled. "Thank you."

Ah, the stutter. He nearly forgot about that aspect of her. From watching her for so long doing things most kids would do in their homes _alone_, he had disregarded the fact that she had an impediment with speaking without cracking her words.

"Hn." He replied. He guessed he should let her talk. He didn't really know what to say next.

"A-are you here to steal books too?"

…did she just say _steal_? "You don't steal; you check them out and then return them." He drawled, hands in pockets. He forgot it took her awhile to take things in, too.

At that, she giggled. She was laughing…at him. As if there was a huge inside joke he didn't know about. That was sort of, _kinda_, pissing him off.

"You're hilarious." She noted. "I needed this," She opened the book, which he noticed had no title nor author, "For art." She said, smiling.

"Why not just use old newspapers? You'd have to pay for that." He pointed at the book in her grasp. She laughed again. He really didn't see what was so god damn funny. _Tch. Girls._

"Not if you s-steal!" She whispered silently with a smile, her index finger over her lips. "I like messing w-with the librarian here. She's…what's an appropriate w-word. Um, rude? I don't use newspapers because the ink fades faster."

"You're destroying property."

She ignored him.

"Want to help me? Since I finished taking my Midterms I can leave early. I just need help cutting them into tiny pieces. " Again, that extremely kind smile from before. She had really nice teeth. But he probably already mentally complimented them two weeks prior.

He was considering it.

He didn't want to stay for lunch, and he took his exams—and more than likely aced every one of them—this morning. Aw, hell, why the hell not? He had nothing better to do anyway.

"Fine," His voice sighed. Although really, he was curious to see what was in her room. He's never been to a girl's room so casually before. Usually when he's invited it for…sexual things. He wasn't too keen on sex, really. So to be asked to join in on stealing library books just to cut books up and basically paint her wall with words, he was down. It was probably one of the most platonic and childish requests he was ever asked.

"Okay." She smiled. And didn't stutter. But she only said one word, so that's probably why.

Why he cared enough to calculate that, he had no idea.

* * *

><p>When he entered Haruno Sakura's home, he thought less of it. It wasn't as glorious and enormous as his family's. it wasn't exactly as spotless as his, and his walls weren't filled with modeling images of her in bathing suits. How could her Father be able to eat in the dining room when every picture framed on the walls were of Sakura skinny dipping with random guys from the football team?<p>

But the Hyuuga's?

_God damn_. They outdid themselves. It beat _his_ home. He didn't think that was possible. Upon entering the main corridor, the beige tiled floors glossed. The huge, white windows had golden and long curtains complimenting them gracefully. A huge, white and grand piano was placed right by the huge walk-in closet with everyone's shoes on their respectable placemats. All framed portraits were paintings by famous local painters of Japan. He wasn't surprised they invested so much money into their home.

The Hyuugas were built on the term success. They took what they took and made themselves look like the most perfect set of human beings ever. He almost believed that to be true when he noticed the built-in baths for both men and women that he and his family usually drove almost an hour to get to. How convenient. He would probably ask her if he could use it sometime.

Did he just mentally suggest he was speaking to her after this? No. He was only going to _just_ help with her wall, and then he was _out_.

"Like it?" She nudged playfully. "Mother designed it. She's an interior designer."

That would explain the amount of welcome and hospitality established as soon as he walked in. rather in _his_ home, you felt insecure and unwanted given the fact that it was pretty obscure compared to the life in this home.

"Hn." As in, "So, where's your room?"

"Upstairs." She answered his un-spoken question as she led him up the standard yet golden steps. "No one's home, but if you want anything I can-"

"No, thank you." He politely declined.

She turned and smiled again. "Alrighty."

Her perkiness was poison.

She took out a set of keys from her breast pocket and opened up a standard white door with a plaque placed right about it reading some strange quote he didn't deem significant to further look into.

"So, this is it." She awkwardly laughed. Her room was _huge_. Well, for a tiny person like her, it was. It was smaller than his, that's for sure. But for someone so petite and short, this room felt like the size of his homeroom classroom. There were dozens of posters taped carelessly all over—he recognized band posters sprawled on her walls.

Her twin-sized bed was neatly made, dull, navy bed sheets over it. A Panda pillow was placed on top of her regular pillow. He turned to her and arched a brow.

She blushed, her fingers entwining amongst one another. "I-it was a g-gift."

_'Right.'_

Her closet had beaded curtains hovering over the slide door, and there was a white desk that complimented her bed greatly to his right with her laptop on it, closed. A huge stack of books which he could only assume were "stolen" from the library were piled amongst one another in a filthy like way, pages sticking out, and a pair of scissors right next to said books.

She wasn't kidding when she said she liked messing with the bitchy librarian. He almost felt sorry for the annoying witch that took the library's regulations too seriously.

"Anyway! Could y-you help cut the last four pages and just stick them in that square? After that, all I have to do is p-place the poster in the center above it." She smiled once more.

Nodding without hesitation, he was given the scissors and decided to skim through the novel.

He noticed the pages and just tore them out, although feeling guilty for dismantling a book for no true purpose besides for being a decoration for her room, which, he had to admit, was expected to be hers.

His hands began to cramp from cutting so much. He put the scissors down.

Turning back, he noticed her paying so close attention to assuring she was cutting within the lines. The concentration in her eyes was prevalent, and the way her tongue was sticking out of her mouth as she continued only proved how much of a perfectionist she definitely was.

"Thank you, Sasuke." She smiled once he was finished. I mean, all he did was cut up a stolen library book's pages. But it wasn't like his job was of waste. She apparently appreciated the efforts he made.

"What did you need these for?"

"Will you judge me?"

"What is it?" He asked again, not liking how she was avoiding a response.

"I like to make poems with words and I glue them to papers. I'm not good with writing on my own so I use words from o-other's."

"So basically you plagiarize." He deadpanned.

She laughed. She caught on that he was making a cheesy joke. "You're so...weird."

_'No, stop it. You're weird too.'_

"It usually takes me hours to do this stuff," she said laughing. "Thank you for helping me finish early, Sasuke."

"You're welcome." He said without thinking. Since when did he get so formal? He hadn't snapped at her, not once. He immediately thought that her kindness was contagious. "I should probably go," He hinted. He's seen plenty of high-school dramas to know what happens next.

The girl will try to kiss him, and after kissing, they go straight for the bed and _bam!,_ a child is born.

He didn't need this shit, damn it. He only came to help and that was that.

She smiled again. "See you soon then, but you should p-probably stop staring at me, I saw you do it. You're not slick." She laughed. "What were you staring at for so long? Did I have s-something on my face?"

…she knew? He really needed to leave.

Although part of him didn't really want to. He felt calm and at peace. He wasn't angry or pissed, he just felt…content.

"See you, too." And he left.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Wow it's 1:44 AM and I wrote this. Uh, you guys owe me reviews. I haven't written in so long and I felt insane for not being able to but yeah here. I will update everything else soon! –personafour (Previously brandfuckingnew). _


	3. Chapter 3

He had a dream. And it was pretty fucking graphic. But in said dream, he was teasing her. And not by doing something completely innocent, like, perhaps, stealing her notebook from the top shelf, and mocking her height. Oh, no. Far worse. He was kissing her. And not on the lips, but between her thighs. And he had no idea where he got those sudden…thoughts. But in his dream, his digits were squeezing her tiny thighs tightly; as his teeth grazed her skin even tighter, her mouth moving along with his. Her lips were pulp and pale and she was moaning rather loudly. But he couldn't really deny the fact that he assumed she was loud—after all, she was pretty fucking weird.

But her moans were so obscure as well. As if the voice didn't belong to her, but to someone quieter. Or a voice actress replacing hers. Either way, it replaced her voice perfectly. Although he didn't remember the full thing, he remembered how he was tugging her striped, grey and black leggings off of her legs. Her skin was so pale, so clear, and so soft. Well, he assumed it was. In his dream, it felt like an extremely cozy pillow. And his fingers were running up and down as if it was routine. Which, in fact, made him feel like a fucking weirdo, considering the fact that no, he has no attraction towards this girl, and no, he should not be thinking like Kiba or Naruto or Shikamaru or any other god damn guy who unfortunately annoys the shit out of him at school. No, he refuses to act on his natural, male instincts.

But his dream felt so fucking _good_. Because her legs tingled at this touch, and rub against his sides, locking him as their chests were pressed, and his head was resting on the crook of her neck, and their breaths were in synch, as he slide in and out of her slowly, trying to keep her voice saved into his memory. She was wearing the same plaid shirt, unbuttoned, a beige bra underneath, in her dream. Her flat stomach was being softly pinched by his fingers, as he continued his pace. "Will it hurt?" she said, her voice not cracking.

Because he didn't think it would in his dream, and it didn't. But her tone remained innocent, yet sinful. As if she was thinking this was bad. But it was a dream, so it wasn't like she had much of a choice. He, of course, felt like he took her actual virginity when he recalled the illusion. Yeah, if he told Itachi, this would definitely be one huge, fucking illusion.

His briefs and pants were lowered, enough to give him member room to squeeze between the walls of her womanhood. He wasn't even looking down at her, in his dream he was staring at how her bangs blew upwards at every thrust he gave. But they were weak, because he was putting no effort. Her fingers were digging into his shoulders, but he didn't wince. He appreciated them, because it gave him a sense of reality. But an illusion tricks you, and in this case, he tricked him terribly hard this one time. The more he moved, the more he felt like tearing her in two. To please her and make her smile and not wince. Because in his dream, they were fucking. Not making love. But _fucking_.

And it's the kind of awkward sex you'd have with your best friend or something. His dream felt like that. And when his eyes _did_ lower in his dream, he noticed how thin she was, and how rosy her cheeks were, but the most ironic thing of them all, was that she was wearing shoes. She _never_ wore shoes.

So when Uchiha Sasuke _did _wake up from his dream, the first thing he did was slide his hand down his boxer-briefs and grip his member. He was hard, and that shocked him. Almost nothing gave him a boner. So why now? There was nothing remotely sexy about the Hyuuga. Like, at all. And it scared him a bit that his mind produced such images, especially of them both doing things they shouldn't ever be doing. But he was horny right now, damn it, and if the thought of her under him turned him on, then so be it. Anything to get rid of his boner for the rest of the day. He decided to oversleep since his finals were all completed and he wouldn't have school for the next three months or so.

Little did he know that the extra two hours would give him enough time to image being inside of the weird, beige-eyed girl who rarely ever wore her shoes. She did have curves, in his dream. And he never really noticed if she had them in person as well, because, well, that wasn't something he should be looking into. At all.

His fingers grasped his member as he moved his digits upwards and downwards. His forehead was grazed with sweat, his bed head curls only making matters worse. He didn't sleep with a shirt on, but he closed his eyes momentarily to image her on top of him, riding him, her mouth nibbling all over his chest. The thought only turned him on more. And if he was sane, calm, and collected, he would rub this off as trash. He would say, "Oh, fuck no."

But he couldn't. Because for some reason, he _wanted_ her. And not in that platonic way he assumed things to go as. His digit rubbed his shaft and he felt himself pant harder and lower, barely a growl let out from his tightly shut lips, as he imagined her swaying her lips across his, her movements quicker. In only a span of a few moments, his breath caught and he came into his hand. The sticky, white substance was repulsive. It snapped him out of his reverie.

Well, that was sort of enjoyable. He wouldn't deny the fact that he felt fucking better after that. Even so, he felt disgusted all the same. How would he tolerate seeing her without thinking of the dream he had where they were both doing things couples did?

In fact, he's never even gone passed kissing a girl! So why did he have a dream with him doing things to her that experienced boys did? Then again, maybe he was naturally good at sex. It was a dream, after all. Dreams alter your persona. Well, hopefully that was only the case. And hopefully he'd stop thinking about her in such a way only a pig would.

Using his, er, _clean_ hand, he opened his bathroom door and turned the faucet on, washing both palms with two doses of foam soap. After he was sure there was no stench of shit on either of his palms, he splashed water on his face. Anything to get rid of the memories and images. He didn't need them.

He was sure someone out there deserved these thoughts. Because he sure as fuck didn't want nor need them. He was perfectly fine being un-attracted to people. So why now? Was did he really have to think of her, of all people? He was sure there could've been someone sexier to imagine to fuck. Like, let's say Ino. She was a loud, obnoxious and a huge blond airhead, sure, but if Shikamaru was right, then yes, she probably was good in the sack.

Her stomach was as flat as her strict diet let it out to be, and her long, blond hair surely added to that in a positive light. Why couldn't he just picture a hot girl to bang instead of the weird girl he met by accident?

Gripping the sink with hands at either side, the Uchiha looked up lazily into the mirror and rolled his eyes. Because this was just bullshit he didn't want to deal with. Not only that, but it wasn't like he was going to tell anyone about this shit anyway, except Naruto, but only because Naruto always knows when shit's gone wrong and he's never left with much of a choice but to tell his idiotic best friend every single thing.

Barely paying any mind to his current state of confusion, he left the bathroom as it was beginning to make him feel oddly claustrophobic and flustered. He heard a light knock on his door and could only assume it was a maid or something.

But nope, it wasn't. It was his older brother. "Sasuke, are you awake?"

He would've said "Hn,", but he didn't think a grunt could've been heard through the thick door. So, he settled for a "Yeah." A muffled one, at that. This was going to suck. He really wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, not even his dearest older sibling. To top it all off, he really wanted to speculate more on what had just happened, or to just try to fall back asleep to try to change the dream to make sure it would never happen again or something.

Course, before he could change any of that, his brother opened the door cautiously, a blank look on his face. The creases on either side of his nose wrinkled a bit as he smiled, looking amused. "Sasuke, you seem relieved." The arched eyebrow only made Sasuke twitch, but still, his arms were crossed against his chest, refusing to break.

"What do you want?" It came out way too bitter than he anticipated, but whatever. He was pissed off.

"We're having dinner at the Hyuuga residence later this evening, and Mother suggested you wore the suit she purchased that's in your closet."

As if today wasn't already terrible. Now he had to see her? It'd be awkward as shit. And knowing her (Unfortunately), he'd have to prevent his mind from mentally undressing her. Well, right now he felt sane and content. Hopefully nothing would go wrong.

He grunted. "Now get out of my room."

* * *

><p>This suit was killing him.<p>

Well, the neck-tie, anyway. He didn't expect his Mom to barge into his room and nearly strangle him to death just to get the damn thing on. Needless to say, after hearing "You both look so handsome!" from his Mother nearly twenty times during the drive to the manor, he felt a sick, weird feeling in his stomach that was seriously irking his nerves. Of course Uchiha Itachi found it quite amusing, but even he knew to never mess with his younger sibling when he was having a mental tantrum.

And the dinner was all but awkward. He had to sit next to her, with his brother across from him, and for once, she didn't speak. She barely gave him a glance. She looked serious and plain facial wise, but besides all of that, she looked quite…different.

And no, he refused to compliment her. Refused. Fuck that.

What happened to his ways of refraining from a female? Surely they applied now more than ever. So he stopped acknowledging her weird presence next to him at the table. He would stick his utensils into the food and consume the delicacy, ignoring the girl who curled her hair for the first time ever. Well, he assumed she had done it before, but he never saw it. It was always long and silky. Now, it looked shorter and round. Her curls bounced as she moved her head and spoke when called. Her father was extremely strict, perhaps even more so than his own.

He assumed that was the reason why she was extra cautious. Or why she was trying desperately to control her stutter. The only time she ever recognized his presence was when she mumbled softly "S-Sasuke, could you pour me a glass of wine?" Which he hesitantly did. Not that the food was anything but the best and fine quality, but it was a bit weird sitting next to her without her trying to do something retarded.

To top it all off, he had to avoid looking below her curls to see the dress she wore, because otherwise, his hormones would've kicked in or something. So, to be cautious, he reminded himself that she was weird and he could do so much better. To be fair, he didn't mean it in a terrible way, he just justified shit like that so that he would've had a boner again. He fucking hated those things. They were a curse for being a male.

Not only that, but his brother was eying him more than usual. As if he knew exactly what wasn't going on, but was about to. As confusing as it sounded, it made sense. Itachi was always the one who watched over everyone's actions. He only acted when it benefited anyone besides him, because he was a selfless dick. He even complimented her, and made her blush. And he had to turn to his right to see her reaction, but it made him feel instantly uncomfortable, because his throat felt clogged at her face dusted with a light pink blush over her pale cheeks, and the fact that she wore extremely light pink lip gloss that only made him want to dip in and kiss the fuck out of those lips.

And when they arrived home, Itachi went all against him about the moment that transpired.

"You're interested in the Hyuuga?"

"No."

"You associate with her in some way, correct?"

"Ye-that's none of your business."

"Dearest little brother, you can count on me for anything."

"I don't want to." He said flatly. Because he didn't want shit to get weirder than it was now. Because he was tired of this already. One fucking day and he got not only a boner, but his brother on his ass about the girl who was pronounced at fault for his hormone tragedies.

And when he tore off the tie from around his neck, he slide under his covers and unbuttoned his dress shirt and dumped it on the floor. The fan that hung above on his ceiling blew wind downwards onto his russet-red cheeks. It was light, but still there, taking up space. Because before he left, she had kissed him on his cheek. And it was on impulse, girls always did that to him. Especially when their families mingled and had dinners like they had. But it made him feel awfully uncomfortable.

Probably because her lips were as soft as he imagined them to be. And he wanted to taste her as well, but that would've been assault or something. But the lip gloss was stuck on his cheek, and his digits were rubbing the area as he continued to stare at the ceiling, wondering just what the hell even happened.

Maybe those two extra hours of sleep fucked him over terribly.

He didn't like her. No, he couldn't. He did not. No.

He winced as he mentally sighed.

He did.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I should've updated Hungover but I thought of this and had to write it. ~_~ _


	4. Chapter 4

How does one act around a girl they're interested in?

This was a new feeling for Uchiha Sasuke. He was so used to it being the opposite—to never feeling a damn thing for a female, and to just ignore it politely, depending on how clingy the girl was, and move on with his life. He was not accustomed to being the pursuer, and as much as he regrets saying it, he was a bit scared. What the hell was he supposed to do? Ignore her and move on? But what if he didn't want to? And it wasn't like she knew what he felt. It wasn't like she knew his life. And it _especially_ wasn't like she really cared anyway.

She was his friend, and damn it, he'd have to live with that. Even if he didn't want that, even if he wanted her to only be by his side, to only speak to him, to never permit her pearl orbs to give even the tiniest glimpse of attention if it wasn't his. He wouldn't tolerate that. He wanted to avoid that at all costs. But of course no one likes her. She's weird, stubborn, strange, quiet, meek, dull, and plain. In fact, he had been trying to determine what exactly about her got him all fired up both in his pants and in his mind in the first place.

Was it that tiny gap she had between her two front teeth? Her pearly white teeth, might he add. Was it the way her bangs were cut uneven, that just screamed _perfection_? She was the only girl he knew that had hair cut up in random layers and lengths just like himself. But styles change, so of course that can't be the only determined factor.

Was it the fact that she had good taste in music, or the fact that she was always so gentle around him, so carefree, so innocent? The thought of ravishing her, turning her into his slave of some sort, had taunted his thoughts from time to time, but then other peaceful scenarios ran through his mind; Him and her just lying on the grass during the evening, watching the fireflies float above them ,their tiny tails glowing. Hearing her hum why he tried to play his guitar using his amateur skills, perhaps he'd even grace her, if only to achieve one of her many sweet laughs, his somewhat rotten singing voice, just to see her smile in glee.

He wasn't looking for those relationships that lasted a short while, he wanted to be with someone that wasn't boring, that wasn't needy, that could fend for herself, that knew what she believed in and always stuck with it, that never backed down, that did not ever go out of her way for no one, that didn't care about how she looked, that didn't struggle to copy those false, photoshopped women on magazines. He wanted someone real, passionate, sweet, and kind, someone that could balance out someone as sinister and dull, and blunt and rude as he was.

Someone like her was exactly who he needed by his side, and not to take her then and there, that could wait. Where did these thoughts even _come_ from? He was define as asexual, was even beginning to agree with the rumors, that he had no interest in either gender, in any sexual relations, but here he was, staring at the ceiling, thinking about the one girl he wish he never met, wishing she was lying next to him, laughing, or something of the sort. It felt wrong. It _was_ wrong. To desire someone that doesn't think of you that way, someone that considers you as a friend, and nothing more.

It was a terrible feeling. He wasn't necessarily friend-zoned, but it wasn't like he could announce his pursue for her attention either. He could imagine it; her life at school, knowing all the girls hated her, just because he saw her and no one else.

And it was too early for him to say things like these. It was summer break, a month without school; no teachers pestering you to study, no more annoying classmates acting like the cast of irresponsible adults on reality shows, no more gross lunches, just him waking up at noon every day for a month, showering as soon as he awoke, wearing whatever he felt like it, reading, or listening to music, or walking around his neighborhood, or driving, swimming, anything to keep his mind occupied.

But eventually once he got done those time-consuming actions, he'd crawl back-first back onto his soft yet firm mattress, and stare at his ceiling fan, letting the air smack his pale cheeks, and his thoughts would wander back to her. He hadn't seen her since summer break began. I mean, he could always stop by and visit her, but isn't that what they call 'clingy' and 'stalker-like'? He didn't want to scare her off! The very thought of her not trusting him for popping out of the blue at her palace of a home would've wounded him.

The fact that he had given so much thought into all the things he wanted to say, all the things he had concluded in such a short amount of time, only fueled his anger and irritation even further. Why couldn't she pester him? Why couldn't she just show up, and save him the trouble, save him the regret? He missed her, damn it! And he knew he shouldn't—he knew very goddamn well that with only a few interactions with her, that he was not (yet) entitled into feeling a strange feeling when she wasn't around. But as his toes curled, and as he dug his fists deeper into his grey sweats' pockets, he could only continue to stare as the fan slowed down, the dust off the top of the wooden panels falling around the air in his large room.

He could go for a jog, perhaps. He could get started on some of his summer homework, although he only had two pages left of the entire packet to finish because he had already started most of it when he realized his feelings to distract his thoughts from racing even further to her. But at this point, he was _stumped_.

"Kami, what the hell did I do to deserve this?"

"My, Sasuke, I didn't see you as the type to feel pity towards yourself."

Rolling his eyes, he sat up. Speak of the weasel, of course it was his eldest brother Itachi, sneaking up on him when he was not wanted. Crossing his arms against his chest, he glared. "There's something called knocking."

"Your door was already cracked open, I saw no need to."

"What the hell do you even want?"

His brother smirked as he shut the door behind him, slowly situating himself at the end of the bed. "I'm here because I'm worried about my dearest, baby brother."

The silence was uncomfortable.

It was evident that this battle was a lost cause, because Itachi knew everything about Sasuke and his reactions and feelings. It was kind of weird—he just _knew _when Sasuke wasn't himself, when he wasn't the same old silent and easily annoyed youngest brother he was lucky enough to be related to.

Unfortunately, rarely are the feelings mutual.

"I'm fi-"

"I'm here to give you advice. Not because you want it, but because I feel as though you need it. Better yet, why not just permitting me the time of day to allow you into knowing a little tale I haven't told anyone since it occurred?"

Actually, he was kind of curious. Itachi rarely ever begins a story; it's as if he keeps all of his inner thoughts and past deep within a huge vault that was hot-glued with some kind of strong element to prohibit anyone else from knowing the information. Their relationship as brothers was nothing but the usual; however it was as if it had taken a deep turn.

"Go ahead, then."

Itachi smiled, and when he did do so, you barely see a hint of remorse in his russet eyes.

"When I was your age, I met this girl whom I never saw again. She never told me her name, but she was lovely. Words can't express how much I regret not speaking to her more, not being by her side when she had called out for help."

"Unfortunately, she died in a car accident before we had graduated. I spoke to her once or twice, perhaps five times at most while I knew her. She was intelligent and outgoing, she was never rude, not once, and if I really wanted to, I could just check my old yearbook for her name, but it'd be disrespectful of me. If she wanted me to know, she would've told me. You could say I was in love with her. Many people did. I almost began to believe those lies. But they never affected her. She would simply smile and head to class, sitting all the way in the front, doing extra things here and there because she loved school so much. Unlike you," he nudged his younger brother slightly in a teasing manner, before releasing a silent sigh.

He had never heard his older brother deliberately sigh before.

"At any given moment, I went and looked for her. I spoke to her when I could, and so did she. Just like you, I too had girls after me. But once I had the wrinkles on my face completely visible, they stopped. They used to call me old names; generally speaking, they treated me as though I was their Senior, literally." He lightly laughed. "Except her. She loved them. She often used to use her tiny fingers and trace them whenever I was too tired to stop her from doing so. We were mutual companions that spoke to when in placed in the same room occasionally."

He couldn't hold himself back from asking "Why are you telling me this?" This whole thing was too out of character for the eldest Uchiha sibling. He didn't even think Itachi had interest in people in general! He was so accustomed to Itachi being so well-reserved, keeping his piercing, onyx eyes to himself and to not pay any attention to anything surrounding him.

"Because it seems as though you're in the same situation. I'm not _that_ blind, Sasuke. I paid attention at the dinner that evening." He laughed, leaning it and ruffling his brother's already kind of fucked up hair. "It's certainly obvious that you've got your eye on her, do tell."

"It's none of your business." He pushed Itachi's arm off from his shoulder and sighed, tapping his knees as he stared at the ground. "It's really none of your concern; I plan on doing nothing anyway."

"Oh? How come?"

Sighing again more aggressively, he turned and stared at his brother, who had an arched brow and a curious look on his somewhat aged-yet handsome face. "She's…weird. Like, Naruto weird. It's weird."

'_His lack of vocabulary could use an adjustment.' _Itachi mused. "Go on."

This topic obviously made Sasuke feel uncomfortable. Especially speaking about it _out loud _with a sibling. Maybe it was his problem, but he didn't think siblings had any right to meddle into such personal things. However, it was obvious his caring brother only wanted to help. And he wasn't going to deny it, he really did need some assistance.

"I'm so used to having to hide from girls. Or ignoring them. Or just giving them a reason to go away. But she hasn't found one bad thing about me, it's as if she's fine with how I act, as if she likes how I am naturally. I don't get her. In fact, I haven't spoken to her since that dinner. She's too innocent for her own good. She's too annoying. But I like her, and I don't know why. I mean I probably do, but I wouldn't be able to explain it."

"Ah,"

"The thing is, I don't want to like her. Because liking someone involves getting hurt in the long run. I have a feel that because I've been such a dick the past few years that karma will bite me in the ass. And I'm not ready for any of that shit, at all. I just want to do well in school, play some sports, go to a good college like you, get a nice job that doesn't involve a lot of stress like you, and die in my sleep when I'm like, thirty-five if I do end up alone. That'd be great."

"Being a journalist is quite difficult," He chipped in. "I get a few gray hairs from just being three yards from my typewriter to write my stories, excuse you."

"Sorry," His brother drily muttered. "I don't want to have anything to do with her. When I met her, I just wanted to go the other way. For some reason, I didn't. And she didn't mind. Usually people either want me around…for this…" He pointed with his fingers at his face, a frown increasing downwards. "And not for you know, this." He momentarily pointed to his chest. "And I guess it's finally getting to people, I still have a few admirers, but I only talk to like, three people now, whom I consider decent human beings. But she's fine with me and I don't get that."

"Sasuke, don't make a mistake and avoid her. While you still know her, seek her out. Speak to her. Because if you don't, you'll regret it. Living with regret is something I don't ever want you to do. Pardon my brutal truth, but it does indeed suck 'ass', as you say."

Sasuke snorted at his older brother's attempt to use slang. "Right."

"I don't have to call her home to fetch her down here, do I?"

"No." If he did, Sasuke would not mind using his own bare hands to claw his brother's heart out.

"Then go. I get what you feel now, but if you clearly like her company, I don't see why you're rejecting the opportunity. If I wasn't so _old_, I probably would've made the move as well."

Sasuke could only hope that was a joke. Knowing Itachi, it was hard to tell. "Fine. Thanks for…whatever this was. I appreciate it."

"Any time."

"Oh, Itachi?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you for letting me vent. I feel less shitty."

He didn't turn around when he shut the door.

* * *

><p>There were many people outside of the Hyuuga compound gardening.<p>

Workers were scattered about, their overalls rolled up to their knees, their toes brown from the dirt, their wooden sandals allowing them to stomp on the ground to plant the new trees, replacing the old, dying ones. Sasuke didn't even notice that the garden was dying the last time he visited. _That _was how great the home was. Flowers were blooming, green leaves were flying about. The white fences were being repainted, and as he looked around, he noticed one worker that stood out.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he walked over to her, hands dug in his loose, black jeans. He was thankful he was wearing a regular, white shirt. It was morbidly warm this afternoon. Honestly, he wasn't planning on walking to her place like Itachi had suggested. He was going to take a walk in general. But his feet led him here, in front of the girl of his dreams—literally—as he stared down at the girl wearing dirty overalls, and again, no shoes for support.

"Need help?"

He didn't want to get dirty. He didn't do his own chores, so why even do others' burdens? In this case, she was the exception, undeniably so. He kind of hoped she'd reject it.

But her eyes grew wide in size when she turned to look at him, a smile on her dirt-filled face. She was wearing old, worn out gloves, ironically those instead of wearing shoes because they looked messed up as ever.

"Hello, S-sasuke."

He twitched with her stutter. "Stop that. It's just Sasuke. There's only one 'S'."

She rolled her eyes, the smile never leaving her face. "You know what I meant."

"Where are your shoes? You have no excuse this time, considering the fact that you live here."

"I-"

"And don't you have maids? Why are you doing their work? They don't get paid if you do it all for them."

"Because, I love painting. And helping in general. I helped plant the flowers, because it was time for a change. I always help when the seasons change. I love gardening, and unfortunately, the woman who was supposed to do it was out ill, so I volunteered as her replacement."

'_Ouch_.' He kinda felt horrible and rude.

"Oh."

"Yeah, I don't mind the work. It gets my mind off of things."

He wanted to ask "What kinds of things?", but he was not a sociable guy. So he just grunted in agreement.

"Grab a brush and help, then," She laughed. "Y-your shadow's making it hard for me to see where I have to paint over."

Grabbing the tiny stool next to hers, he sat there, their shoulders touching, as he dipped the brush into the huge, white bucket. The silence was warm and sweet. Besides the yelling in the background for the workers to pick up the pace to lift the heavy objects that were no longer desired in the front lawn, or the sounds of children from outside the area laughing, it was nice. To be honest, he had no idea how to paint. It was probably a skill he never bothered to ace in.

"Here, let me h-help," She whispered, tongue sticking out (Was that a new habit?) as her fingers latched themselves over his, gaining control of the thin, wooden brush.

"It's not hard, I'm surprised someone like you has trouble with it," She laughed silently, lifting his hand up and down as she continued to dip the brush until it was completely white with the paint. "Just continue with slower strokes and y-you'll do f-fine."

"Hn." Awkwardly, he stared at her hand, that hadn't moved since her instructions. "Aren't you going to let go?" Not that he wanted her to, but she wasn't letting go and it made him feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Show me you can do it and then I will."

"Tch." She was one stubborn girl, if not more stubborn than Sakura. And for some reason, he could deal with that. He could deal with being treated inferior to someone else, if that being was her. She had flaws, and so did he, but hers were shadowed by her smile, her eyes, the blood that was practically engraved into her soft, chubby cheeks. Her bangs were dipped-dyed with the paint; she must've used her hand to wipe sweat off her forehead due to the heat, and that probably was the reason as to why her bangs looked as if she had white-out dumped over her head.

There was paint across her face, dirt as well, but it was only noticeable due to the fact that he was so close to her face. Rather, she was to his, as she paid him all the attention she could to make sure he was going to keep his part into doing the job right.

The look in her determined eyes as she (Without realizing) continued to lick her lips as he repeated the strokes she had shown him moments before was what he caught from the corner of his eye, but he decided to keep his impulsions and words to himself, and tried ever so hard to drain the blood that was pooling lightly across his pale cheekbones.

"You did it!" She smiled, and before he knew it, he had felt warm arms wrap themselves around his torso.

Surely the hug wasn't necessary. He didn't like hugs. Whether from distanced relatives across the globe, or his family that he lived with, or occasionally the greeting most girls give him on the regular, he was not fond of physical contact. He didn't like that he had to feel obligated to return the gesture, nor did he feel it was right for someone to become empty-handed after giving one to him, because although he felt bad, he was _not_ going to give them a hug. Hugs are foreign to him, and have been for him for as long as he could remember.

But this was different. It wasn't because he was handsome, it wasn't because they were separated for years and had just now stitched the empty wounds back together, it was only because he followed her instructions, and for some reason, she deemed it equivalent to a hug. For some reason, she thought that the hug was a welcomed reward for paying attention.

And if this was Sakura, or Ino, or his Mother, or even Kami forbid, _Naruto, _he'd probably push them away. Solitude was his main focal point, and he didn't think it was right to push himself past his barriers to return one. And everyone understood that. Maybe she didn't, but he didn't mind. Which was strange, it was peculiar that she had some sort of V.I.P pass to get through his difficult obstacles. To _reach_ him.

He never thought it was possible.

It was silent, and it was as if his arms had to do it, _had_ to latch themselves around her. And slowly, they did. Sluggishly, he returned it. He made himself comfortable, placing his chin lightly on her head. And they just sat there, in an embrace. No one was paying them any mind because they were so busy with the work. But neither let go. He didn't want her to. And he hoped that she wouldn't.

He didn't notice the way her eyes widened, feeling the warm return right back to her. She was so used to giving hugs, to her Father, who shunned her away, to her eldest cousin, who thought it was an inappropriate act of girls that should be halted and avoided, to even her little sister, who still had the mentality that hugs were a trap for battle.

But she got one today. And it made her eyes water, because the silence was comforting, the fact that _he_, of all people, returned the favor, returned the warm she gave away, was just so _nice_. It didn't matter if he had the worst reputation in the school for being sinister, cruel, or sour, nor did it really matter that she was warm from the heat the sun had graced them that afternoon, because all of those feelings were drowned out by one simple hug.

"A-ano, I'm-"

"Don't. Just, don't move for a while."

It was their first hug.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Wow, I really loved this chapter. I love writing this story in general. I'm on Spring Break so….if given enough feedback/reviews….I'd probably surprise you with a new chapter this week as well. :p _

_I was listening to "Path of the Wind" from the Totoro soundtrack when I wrote this. I felt that sweet song fit this chapter. Enjoy and thank you so much for putting up with my shit. ;w;_


	5. Chapter 5

He was confessed to for the first time at the age of eleven.

At that point, he had no idea what was going on. Well, he understood the very concept of it. But it was still all a mystery to him. She had pigtails reaching to her lower back, and her cheeks were flushed. Yamanaka Ino was the very first person—followed by Haruno Sakura, who wasn't too pleased with being right-after, but did it anyway to not lose to the pig—to convey her feelings to the dark-haired, intelligent, yet reserved basketball superstar of Konoha Middle.

"I like you!" She had shouted, and it caught him off guard. Because she had literally dragged him out into the school's back field, at the end of the day, no less, giving her only five minutes before his bus pulled off to his next game. Naturally, being the curious 6th grader, he agreed, as long as it was to the point and brief.

And she didn't take not one but ten seconds to let it all out. She was crying, actually. How could he forget tears? At this point in time, he can one-hundred percent agree that she was probably the reason why he hated the act of crying in the first place.

But young ten and a half year old Yamanaka Ino was strong and bold, as the tears fell from her huge, blue eyes. "I like you a lot, Sasuke! Please let me be your girlfriend!"

He didn't want to be rude, because he knew that it takes _guts_ to just come out and say something so strong like that without breaking a sweat. "Why me?" He was being sincere, mind you. Who could blame him? The ironic thing was that when he asked her this, her mouth was open and she stopped sobbing.

"B-because I, you know, like you and stuff!"

"And? A lot of girls do," He shrugged. "Is this it? Because I might miss my bus and that would suck."

"Sorry, I don't mean to be a bother," She sighed, that glimpse of hope that was once shining brightly fading. Being rejected did suck. A lot. Even at such a young age.

"I would've asked you to be my girlfriend if you would've told me why you liked me," He said as he turned, making his way back to the front of the school. "But you didn't so, your loss."

At age eleven, he also began to hate girls.

Because that's all they wanted from him. His stupid good looks. I mean really, does wanting to stand by his side just to show off sound like true happiness? He played sports that required a lot of action because he thought that being sweaty would make girls say 'Ew!' or something along the lines of that. But no, apparently when boys wear jerseys and show off arms and have sweat across their forehead, it's '_Hot_'.

He tried desperately after Ino's confession to change. He wanted to seem more unappealing. He decided to study a bit more, and act snobby when it came to grades. But no, apparently, as 7th grade rolled in, that was 'attractive'.

There was just no way to get rid of these chicks! And while it was mentioned that Haruno Sakura confessed after, it's true. It took her a whole year after Ino's rejection to get the courage of standing up in the middle of their math class, and to yell "Sasuke, I love you!" in front of everyone.

Sakura's cheeks were as pink as her full set of hair. She let the curls grow and reach her mid-back because of a rumor spreading that Sasuke found long hair 'cute'. Of course she wasn't the _only_ one that let her hair grow, but hers was most definitely the longest of them all.

And as she choked on her words, biting her lower lip, waiting for his response, all he could do was sigh. And not out of pity, but frustration.

"Why do you love me?" He asked. And he was kind of expecting her to go on about why.

Her response?

The then twelve year old pinkette smiled brightly. "Because you're so cool! And you beat Naruto up all the time, and it's just nice to know that I'm not the only one that finds him intolerable!"

'_Wrong answer_.'

"Shut up, you're annoying." He snapped.

At age twelve, Uchiha Sasuke was sent to the Principal's office, and was suspended for two days for making Sakura cry—in front of everyone, might I add—and for rejecting her lame confession.

But she didn't deserve to cry. He did.

But he wouldn't, because he was raised to believe that the Uchiha men were strong people that never let anyone into their hearts. But still, like the last time, it hurt. To be liked for appearances, or for stupid actions that anyone would do.

Why didn't his personality or his thoughts attract anyone? Why was it just his _face_? Why couldn't he be acknowledged, or liked, or loved for who he really was?

The following two days, when he saw Sakura in the hall grabbing her textbooks from her locker, he approached her. She turned around, cheeks flushed, a frown on her face.

"I would've asked you to be my girlfriend if you had told me why you loved me. That was a stupid answer." Was all he could say, leaving her speechless, as he headed to their class first.

At age thirteen, confessions came and went constantly.

As technology became more popular, cell-phone numbers became literally the only notes he never got in his locker. He couldn't recall how many he had recycled, exactly, but there were so many that he just left them pile up as the years went by.

When he moved onto high school, things only got worse. Girls would launch themselves at him without even speaking. Just giggles. And they'd play dumb around him constantly. It was to the point where as a freshman, even _seniors _found him appealing. Like, _what_?

He had done everything any teenager could dream to get them to just leave him alone. He stopped shaving, to only find out stubble 'suited his pale chin'.

He used his Mother's make-up kit to create a fake, yet realistic looking pimple on his left cheek and it only made him look 'naturally gorgeous'.

He even joined the _Chess team_, a game he admittedly loved playing, to get them off his back! But that, once again, failed. Because they all went to the games to cheer him on, and he couldn't take it.

"_I think he's gay."_

"_No, I really doubt that. Maybe he's just shy?"_

"_Maybe he's just asexual. That's always a possibility."_

"_As if! This is Uchiha Sasuke we're talking about, here! Maybe he's just…taken?"_

"_Wow, if he is, she sure is lucky! Or he!" _And the giggles never stopped. They just continued.

And at age fifteen, Uchiha Sasuke swore that he would never allow a girl to befriend him after all of those failures.

He only spoke to less than five people the majority of his third year. And now, he was a senior. Now, his last year of high school—which hasn't begun yet(Because he's still on summer vacation)—he would set off and leave this stupid town and go to a fine college, and who knows, find that person and get married and all of that common shit.

But that changed when he met the weird Hyuuga Hinata.

All of it changed. He no longer wanted to run. Or find little things about himself to lure her away. In fact, the more he felt restrained from her kindness, the more he was admittedly willing to let go and reveal.

How could you lie to those huge, pearl-like eyes? How could the simple smell of lilacs makes you want to push her away? It was physically impossible for him to. He didn't want to release her. What if she never wanted him to hug her again? What if this feeling would be missed for a long period of time, never to be returned to him?

"Sasuke, are you alright?"

He had to blink, staring back at the girl that he, not moments before, held in his arms. "What? Yeah, I'm fine."

She smiled. "I'm g-glad. Do you want to stay for-"

"No, I'm fine." It was getting late. He didn't want to impose for anything else. "I actually have a request, though." Wouldn't it be for the best to just get to the point of things instead of waiting? Because Uchiha Sasuke, a sixteen year old teenager, going on seventeen, was not exactly the type of person that could wait forever.

"What is it?" The way her voice raises in volume when she's curious just made his arm tense.

"You actually don't have an actual say in whether to participate or not," He mumbled. "You're going to hang out with me tomorrow and I won't take 'No' for an answer."

Is this how eleven year old Ino felt when she confessed? That adrenaline in her veins, telling her to say what she wants and to forget how she looked when she said it? Because she when spoke those words, so clear and obvious, her eyebrows were creased and her eyes were puffy from crying and he had always believed this, but when women were at their weakest moment, that was when they showed their true beauty.

He continued to stare though, because she wouldn't give him a response. She looked caught back, as if this was such a shocking thing of him to suggest. And the way her face paled made his ego and self-esteem shrink.

Was this how twelve year old Sakura felt when she told him that she loved him? Bruised and shattered? Heart pounding loud enough and fast enough to go right through his chest? Not knowing what the other person would say, and not sure how you'd be able to handle however it went?

He legitimately felt like he was dying. All he could do was stare, however. And just look at how she wouldn't move an inch, and how her eyes grew even bigger than before. And he was no doctor, but that didn't look healthy to him at all.

But when she blinked once more, she smiled. Her eyes looked glassy, and he didn't know why, because she had no reason to look like she was going to cry. She had no reason to cry at all, actually. But her head moved upwards and downwards as she nods and says "Okay."

The relief he felt as he let out the air he had kept tightly compacted his chest made him feel alive. Is this what eleven year old Sasuke would've felt if a girl had come along and confessed to him with more than just 'Because you're cute' or 'Because you're cool'?

But all he could do was smirk. It was smug and small, but she noticed it, and he was sure of it. "Okay. Thank you." Was all he could say.

And he as he went off, back to his home, his digits were still tracing the warmth that was fading from her body on his.

* * *

><p>For once in his life, Uchiha Sasuke had no idea what to wear. If this was just him going out to buy groceries when his Mother was baking for the fuck of it, he'd wear a regular, plain shirt and some jeans and sneakers. And he was well aware that Hinata wouldn't care what he wore, but he, well, <em>did<em>.

And he knew why, and it was actually obvious to anyone as to why, but he liked to pretend that he didn't and that this feeling of uncertainty would fade away as time went by.

The floor of his usually spotless room was covered by all of his now wrinkly shirts that he tugged from the coat hangers in his closet. He could wear one of his old band shirts, but that would be lame.

He could wear a v-neck, but that would be too awkward to wear in front of her. For some reason, he didn't think she deserve to see his collarbones on the first date—or whatever this was—anyway.

He could wear one of his navy polos, but they're just too—okay, he decided, he's wearing it. He adjusted the collar in the mirror of his bathroom and sighed. This was actually his first date. Well, not really, he had been on making _forced _dates in the past, but this date was different. It was the first date he had never initiated first.

Well, he considered it a date.

Maybe to her, it was just a chill day for the two. He slid his thin legs into his equally thin jeans and slide his feet into his already tied shoes. But why is it that just seeing her again made his chest ache? And he hated it. It made it extremely difficult for him to breathe steadily. But the thought of her getting ready for him just made him, well, nervous, to say the least.

And he wasn't necessarily pleased with knowing that he was anxious at the moment, but she was the reason, nothing more, and nothing less. What if she curled her hair like at the dinner? What if she wore shoes?

What if she showed him another side of her that he had not known yet? At the moment he was feeling selfish. Why the fuck would she spill her guts out to a guy like him? A guy that could barely keep a steady conversation with a girl he was interested in, no less?

Not only that, but what if she didn't consider this anything anyway? What if he was overdressed? What if he was underdressed? What if he embarrasses himself to the point where he ruins the current relationship he currently had with her?

He shook his head. '_No. Absolutely not._'

Unfortunately for him, even if she were to make it clear that she wasn't interested, he'd still be by her side someway. Maybe not as he'd hope, but anything but being out of her life for good would suffice.

No matter how much it would more than likely hurt, he would rather her be happy than feel pity towards him.

He can't remember how long he had been waiting outside the gates of her home. Ten, fifteen minutes? He was a bit early regardless, so he didn't mind. He was thinking too hard anyway, so he killed that in-between time period with no problems nor complaints.

Uchiha Sasuke was never anxious. But right now, he was. The sweat that was leaking between his tight fists was making it unbearable to even lean against the stone-brick wall that surrounded her elegant home.

"This sucks."

"You're already c-complaining?" Her snort caused him to look back up to meet eyes with the petite Hyuuga he had been waiting for. Did he really think he overdressed? Nope.

She beat him to it.

"I-I hope it's not too much," She was fixing the creases at the end of her pixie-like gray pencil skirt, as well as adjusting the cuffs of her long-sleeved, striped, button-up shirt with a blush on her cheeks. Her hair was pulled up into a messed up bun on her head, with curls framing the sides of her cheeks and her uneven, straight across bangs hovering above her barely visible eyebrows.

"You look like a business woman."

She only smiled. He cringed as he realized what he had said.

"I didn't know you wore polos."

"Me neither." He seriously didn't. He didn't even recall ever purchasing one.

"But it looks nice on you," She laughed.

He could only grunt, trying to seem indifferent, although he was actually relieved that she found his appearance fine. "You look pretty good as well."

"Thanks." There goes that charming smile of hers. "I usually don't dress like this so forgive me if I overdid it."

"Hn."

'Pretty good' was most definitely an understatement. I mean, he looked at girls here and there; he wasn't going to deny that, but _damn_. She had curves! And who knew, even a matching bust! The skirt outlined her _really cute_ butt (Why he called her butt cute, or just a butt in general cute, he'll never know) and showed her legs off perfectly. She even had makeup on as well!

Not like a bunch to overdo it, but it was there. The tiny bit of eye shadow and eyeliner near her eyes was evident. He was kind of relieved that she didn't think this…date thing was a joke. He was actually glad.

"Shall w-we?"

"Yeah."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Forgive me, fellow readers, for the late update, but here I am! I'm on summer break, so hopefully if I continue receiving positive feedback I'll update sooner! Thank you all for being patient with me. I've had a writer's block since April…haha. My bad, homies. It's 2:10 AM. Goodnight. Review. All that shit._


	6. Chapter 6

When your world suddenly revolves around someone, that's when you know you're stuck with them.

When your palms sweat knowing you're side-by-side with that person—that person you just want to make smile, always, and never try to harm them—you're in fucking love. And you can't just replace these emotions. If you happen to wed your beloved and then divorce three years later, because he or she decided that he or she didn't feel that spark they felt a year prior, and it hurts you to the point where your core _aches_, but you let them go because it would make them_ happy_, then let it be known that you're still and will forever be in love with that person. That electricity in your veins you felt with that person just can't be shared. You can fall in love again, but you can't fall out of it.

Uchiha Sasuke felt that realization as he was chewing his meal across from the weird-eyed creature known as Hyuuga Hinata.

She was too busy messing with her peas with her fork to realize he was staring at her. The air vent was hovering above her seat—honestly if he were her, he'd be scared shitless because his paranoia would harass him constantly with _it's going to fucking fall on your head_—and the cool breeze brushed her uneven bangs to both sides, and god, she was so _vacuous. _Such a sweet specimen of what is known as human being. She had sauce on her chin and her upper lip, and didn't seem to care. She was the plight of his existence and only he knew this was evident. But, even so, it was alright with him.

They had been dining in silence and it didn't feel awkward at all—rather, it felt _right_. And while he did mean to bring up some points into their non-existent conversation, he felt as though he didn't _need_ to because she seemed to treasure the peacefulness within their dinner. He was left in his thoughts—some daring, some cruel—trying to think of something to _say_ because he wanted to say so much, but thought of so little in order to do that. Should he compliment her? There weren't enough word in his vocabulary to do so.

Where to start, anyways? She clearly didn't know that there was a napkin to her left considering the fact that she had many splashes of red sauce on her face, and that even a tip of her curls were tainted with it as well. He couldn't find it in him to mention it, because no matter how childish she was acting when eating, he enjoyed how naïve she truly was.

What about her constant blinking? Was it was mechanism to win him over? Not that she needed to try, she already succeeded (Without knowing it) but the fact that her eyelashes kept running into each other and she stared at everything _but_ him was just so weird and adorable it was making it hard to maintain his monotone expression and turn it into a sly grin. Clearly this girl has read too many teen magazines that evidently are not aiding her cause. But she's still cute, so he'll look past it.

The way her nose crinkles in disgust as she (With no embarrassment whatsoever) leans in to sniff the croutons on her plate is hilarious. '_And you wanted them, too_.' Uchiha Sasuke thinks with a grunt to ease his throbbing throat from wanting to laugh at the girl across from him. Even so, he felt her pain. Croutons are disgusting, and for that very reason he replaced his with tomato slices to ease his appetite.

It's been an hour, and she hasn't said a word. Not that he's counting! Or nervous, oh, no, never that.

Yeah, he was nervous. Which is why he had been pointing out her flaws for the sake of making himself feel a _little_ bit better knowing that while she's basically everything he has desired in another person, she, too, had flaws and thus isn't as perfect as he deems herself to be. But in his eyes, perfection is only her.

These romantic thoughts will never leave his mind through his mouth—ever.

He sees her shuffle through his bag and picks out her wallet, and only then on mere impulse does his hand softly slap hers down. She looks up, not mortified, but definitely confused, as her eyes grow big. "Why did you do that? I was going to-"

"I'm paying." He says, but his eyes also apologize for his rude behavior. "Don't worry about it." She isn't one to get offended by an act of that matter, so she nods with a smile (And he was so sure he was going to erupt in laughter because there's food stuck in the gap between her two front teeth!) that truly showed off everything about her that you needed to know.

With that, they left.

Which was funny, because instead of taking her directly home, he decided to walk with her around the town that they both grew up in—and equally adored in their own, special way. Konoha wasn't a dump, it had an incredible amount of funding, thus tall, arched bridges were placed accordingly where the heads of previous leaders were carved into the beautiful mountain that hovered around the town. Lights dangled in a neat manner from both ends of the dirty road, and there wasn't much commotion at this hour. Being summer, with the heat being very difficult to avoid (But it wasn't like they minded it, for it was a lot cooler in the evening regardless), many stayed indoors, and that would explain why they were the only two people outside.

Which was pretty fucking awkward.

He _could_ mention the stains on her cheeks and chin, but decided to wait until they finally decided to sit under the enormous oak tree that was placed right in front of the Hyuuga compound's gates. Both clearly did not give a shit about their clothing becoming dirty—that's _kinda_ the reason why they have maids.

"I had fun at d-dinner. Thanks," She said with a bit more confidence, as she couldn't necessarily see his face all that clearly with all the shade and darkness enveloping them both. He stiffened at her voice—it was something he wanted to hear all night, but preferred them speaking now over in the restaurant anyways because it kind of felt more special this way.

"I did too," He said honestly. He was kind of glad that she didn't notice him staring at her. Because while he knew he should approach her at an even and slow pace, he just wanted to feel those lips of hers. The last time she kissed him was on the cheek, and that was only for being courteous. He didn't want that anymore.

Within a second of blinking, he sees her unbuttoning her shirt.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"R-relax, I have a tank underneath." She laughed silently. Removing her shirt and also skirt, she seemed to have been wearing her summer pajamas underneath the entire time. Oh, and he just now realized that her hair was released from that enormous bun of hers.

Well, fuck.

"It's hot," She sighs as she folds her clothes on her lap. "I'm glad we're here. I almost died in that p-place!"

'_That's it. I have to kiss her now._'

The thought seemed tempting, but he did _kind of_ feel like a pervert for looking her up and down as she played with the ends of her hair.

"I didn't think ahead like you did," He mumbled loud enough for her to hear. He seemed unaffected by the heat, and instead welcomed the breeze that brushed between his short locks. "If you didn't feel comfortable there you could've told me, you know."

"But you t-took me out to a nice place, and I didn't want to ruin it. No one's ever taken me there before and I didn't want to mess up."

His look in response to her honest words deemed suspicion.

"Why are you l-looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"

"Yeah." He bluntly spoke out with a laugh. You can't blame him, he had been wanting to release that laughter of his since they both began eating.

"Oh, God. How b-bad? How embarrassing! Did you already notice? How come you didn't tell me!" No amount of darkness could disguise the warmth that was radiating off her cheeks. It looked like a very hot stove, and her flushing only added to her attractiveness in his eyes.

She leaned in and had her hands balled into fists as she playfully punched him on the chest. "You're a j-jerk!" She laughed.

She wasn't mad, clearly, and he was shocked by it. "Want me to get it off?"

"Could you p-point to where it's at? I'll do it," She pouted.

"I can just-"

"No need, I can do it!" She was so vicious, it was very sexy on her part, and the best part was that she had no idea how much he liked her new attitude when she was feisty.

"Fine." He used his fingers and pointed to the corners of his cheeks, his nose, and even flicked his pinky to point towards the tip of his chin.

"And you let me walk out that door with all of…that…on my face…?"

He nodded with a sly grin. "I did."

"You d-do realize I have to kill you now, right?"

"Guilty's charged," He sighed with his arms behind his back as he laid on his spine. "I'd kill me too, if I were you. And I'd be quick about it."

"Oh, really?" She huffed. "Well I can't see any of it so can you get it off? I don't want to walk into my house looking like t-this."

"Fine, fine," He got up lazily and leaned in so that his face was within a small distance of hers. Using his left hand to hold her chin, he used his other hand's index finger to pull the smudge off of her cheek and brought it to his mouth, licking it up without a single care. "There."

"Thanks," She laughed as she used the back of her hand to wipe off anything else. Getting up with all of her clothes at hand, she sighed and stared down at the guy she not moments before was very close to kissing. "Thanks for this. It was fun-"

"Aren't you going to return the service for another?" He said with an arched brow.

"What a-are you talking about?"

"Kiss me."

"But I-"

"Goddamn it, just do it. Kiss me." He said impatiently, and while he didn't mean to sound as harsh and demanding as he had, it was his persona and that was one thing he wasn't going to change for this girl. Either she dealt with his attitude or learned to adore it like any of the other girls at their school—either way, she didn't have a choice anymore.

He was no longer on the ground, but standing up with open arms, awaiting the weird-eyed girl to run into his arms like in his dreams to suck face. "Come here," He urged. "It won't kill you. And you _do_ owe me."

Placing her clothes on her brick-oriented mailbox, she staring with rosy cheeks at the Uchiha with wide eyes. "But S-Sasuke, what if someone sees?"

"Do I _embarrass _you?" Sasuke felt offended at this point. I mean, come _on_! He was the heartthrob of Konoha High! He even got better grades than _she_ did, so she can't say that there was an intelligence gap between them without him being better than her! He's also as fucking rich as she was, so there was _no_ way that her parents _wouldn't_ approve!

"No!"

"So I do. Is that how you _really_ feel? I underestimated you, Hyuuga. I didn't know you could be such a-"

"Don't call me that! I am not a-"

"_Bitch_." He spat with a smirk, and by then, he had already gotten a hold of her wrists, and yet again he made sure his face was within a few centimeters from hers. God, she was adorable.

She gasped silently, her pupils growing in size at the proximity that they shared. Hyuuga Hinata wasn't _that_ shy, but around this guy, it changed all of a sudden. What happened to just being friends? Why was she entitled to kiss him now? And it's not like she didn't _want _to (Okay, _huge_ underestimation, she wanted to fucking claw the shit out his lower lip that had been teasing her all evening with her teeth, thank you very much. And yes, Hinata was one kinky motherfucker.), it's just she didn't want to initiate it.

And again, this was a sensitive topic to the girl. And also very perverted and gross and _embarrassing,_ to top it all off. Of course she wasn't going to say anything regarding it, either. Fuck that.

"I'm not a…that word, Sasuke." She whispered in hopes of getting him to let her go. No luck.

"Then kiss me."

"I don't want to."

He snorted. "Yeah, _okay_."

She huffed. "Not _every_ girl wants to kiss you, Sasuke."

"True," He retaliated. Not many were trapped underneath his dreadful spell that is hotness. And she was one of them. But even _he_ knew that she was interested in him as he was (So deeply, might I add) in her. "But I'm positive you do."

"I-"

"Save me the time and trouble and just kiss me. _Please_." He didn't mean to sound so pleading, but he was growing impatient and just wanted to feel her lips against his—he wanted to know how they felt, and badly. It was killing him!

Sighing, she gave in. "Fine. But only because I owe you, okay?"

'_Yeah, okay_.'

He thought with a roll of his eyes. She was so silly. But it was cute. And he was glad she was going to kiss him because he had to stop himself mentally from slamming her against her mailbox and placing his mouth on places _other _than hers.

Standing on her bare toes (did I mention she removed her heels?), she leaned in and was planning on pecking his lips but instead was surprised by his tongue grabbing a hold of hers for a deep kiss she didn't expect to be a part of.

Startled, she felt all air in her lungs evaporating as she felt him explore her mouth.

He could barely take in that adrenaline that had been stored upon walking her home. She tasted so _good_. And she was such a nice kisser, holy shit. Her lips were soft, his breath (surprisingly) smelled clean. You can't blame him for overreacting, this was his first kiss, for fuck's sake!

And it was with _her!_ He was beyond ecstatic, and for someone like Sasuke, that obviously says a lot. She felt his hands tug strands of her hair, pushing her skull against his so that their noses were softly touching.

This was it. This was a kiss. This was what kissing felt like. This was what kissing felt like with someone you actually _like_.

It felt beyond good. It made places he didn't even _know_ could feel pleasure feel good. She made the back of his throat groan. She made this so unbelievably pleasant and he was terribly afraid of her pulling away.

But, no matter how fantastic it felt for _both_ of them, she _did_ need air and she wasn't going to get it anytime soon if she didn't find the force to push him away.

With her cheeks (Actually, her entire _face_) as heated as it was, she bit her lip and grabbed her clothes before turning around, heading to her door, and letting out a squeak that sounded like a "Goodnight, S-Sasuke!" before slamming her front gate shut and running off towards her probable destination—her room.

How did Sasuke respond to such a thing?

"Fuck."

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: <em>Okay, so I've been a terrible updater lately. And I deeply apologize. I was like, "Wow, this story _sucks_." ...until I got in an actual relationship. What inspired it (The chapter, I mean)? My love for my significant other's lips and how good of a kisser he really is. So, um, yeah, review? I'll update soon, I really will! Like, uber soon. After this gets past 100 (Or at least over ninety?) reviews? I don't know, I just love hearing all of your opinions. You can be anonymous, just wow me with your flattering words! Also, I hate junior year and always wish I could just chug bleach but I don't because then I won't be able to kiss my signifcant other (The word 'boyfriend' makes me cringe and think of middle school, ew) and that would suck! It's almost ten, so I expect y'all to read this by around this time.

Love, personafour.


	7. Chapter 7

"You're crazy about her, aren't you, Teme?"

This question was very random and very much unexpected. Sasuke did not recall ever telling Naruto, his _best friend_, mind you, anything that had been occurring since the summer break started. And of course he felt awful for excluding his friend, but there were some things he'd rather not bring up for a while, and his relationship was a sensitive topic he'd rather keep to himself until he was ready to spill the beans.

Even so, he couldn't deny the look of pleading and amusement that was in Naruto's enormous, blue orbs.

But that didn't prohibit him from playing dumb, either. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't give me that crap!" He laughed with a smile. They had been sitting on the hood of Sasuke's car for about an hour now, just talking. And then, all of a sudden, the topic of the conversation changes and he's just as baffled as irritated by the sudden change of events. "Why won't you tell me how this happened? I don't like feeling left out, 'ya know!"

Ah, hell. This was Naruto we're talking about. Who the hell would he tell?

"_Fine_," The dark-haired heart-throb sighed heavily. "Was it that obvious?"

"_Painfully_." His friend laughed. Oh, great. So now his sudden efforts into keeping this monotone charade and look dull and mysterious had disappeared upon pursuing the girl. This was just _dandy_. She owes him a kiss for this. "But it's cool, dude. It's about time you don't look like fucking road kill—all dead and gross and stuff."

"Says the one who acts like Sakura's guide-dog whenever she's around," He retorted. And in his defense, he didn't look like _road kill_, of all things. He was just hiding the rest of his emotions besides being bored and irritated so that he could avoid having many relationships with other people—and not just romantically, in general, because they were precautions to avoid getting hurt, and also being too 'open' with people, something he'd rather _not_ be.

"Hey, I love her!" Naruto said boldly. "And when you love someone you shouldn't care about their actions because in the end they're still human, Teme."

"I'm sorry, did _the_ Uzumaki Naruto just say something very…_inspiring_? I had no idea that's how you really felt for her, dobe." He was glad he didn't have to speak of Hinata because to be honest, he didn't want Naruto to pursue her, no matter on friendly terms or not, because he wasn't quite prepared to share any time with her with anyone else.

"Sakura'll come around! It just might take time. And I get that. We're in high school! Almost graduating. She has plenty of time to notice me. I mean, it's not like she doesn't know, 'ya know? I only did confess to her in fourth grade…"

"_Naruto_,"

"No, don't say my name like that. Stop it." Naruto laughed. How could he keep such a smile knowing how hurt he was? And why didn't he just _move_ on? Why do some people insist on waiting out for one single person after knowing that they just won't respond to you on a sentimental level? Sasuke never understood the relationship among his two (Dare he admit to this) _best friends_, because whether he wanted to fully admit to this or not, Sakura did count as one of them. Even so, she had been in love with _him_ (Or so she claims), not Naruto. And it was this vicious triangle that he just didn't want to be a part of that hindered them from acting as they did before middle school even started.

Naruto cleared his throat, playing with a strand of his blond, spiky hair that was dangling in front of his face. He was still such a naïve child, even at his current age. "Listen, I know she loves you-"

"She doesn't, and even you know that." Sasuke interjected. It was the truth. Sakura has been living in this never-ending fantasy that the adoration she has for him was true love, and has yet to come out of it and wake up to reality. Frankly, it was annoying. And even worse, it was hurting his best friend, which he didn't like in the slightest, so he long since gave up on Sakura understanding his stance on their strictly platonic relationship.

"But I can wait." He said with a sigh. "And I don't care how long I have to, because I want to be there when she figures it all out." He chuckles at the end, as if choking up on his own words. These were the moments he truly treasured with Naruto—when he was being completely real without the stupidity and bullshit, and that was probably why he could never deny their friendship, no matter how annoying he could be at times.

Sasuke could merely grunt in approval. He really did value Sakura and Naruto for always being his friend as children, but now there were some disputes they both had to settle before they could truly be happy among themselves. And unfortunately, Sasuke wasn't at all interested in being the one to initiate it all, so he could only hope this happened soon because if it didn't, then his best friends would continue being hurt, and he just didn't like the idea of this continuing for much longer.

"I'm guessing the girl you like is the Hyuuga chick?"

"_Hinata_," He corrected. He would've corrected 'like' to 'love', but even his mental state of mind urged that these feelings were just now developing and it was too soon to call it something aside from undying attraction.

"She's pretty cute, in fact, she has a nice a-"

"Finish that sentence and I'll kill you."

"Okay, okay, jeez!" Naruto's hands are held up and he's giving his best friend the biggest grin he could possess, causing his dimples to arise, and the lines on both cheeks to lift as well. Honestly, it was hard to imagine Naruto hurting internally, being born with such a happy persona and what not. "Are you seeing her today?"

"Probably."

"Let me come."

"_No_."

"Oh, c'mon! I'll be nice, I promise."

"No." Never. Nope. Not now. Not for a while. He doesn't need a cock block, and would appreciate it if his friend quit doing that because he knew that she meant too much to him to screw everything up.

"Fine, I'll stay away. I can tell that you like her a lot, and this test was to prove it." Naruto grinned slyly, laughing towards the end. "Just keep her close because this is the happiest I've seen you be, and although you're not showin' it, I can tell you're happy, Teme."

"I know," Sasuke couldn't stop himself from replying. "Just don't tell anyone. They're annoying and it's none of their business."

* * *

><p>"Sasuke, be a dear and hand me that pole, would you?" His mother chirped as she began to flex her fingers around the package that finally arrived from a retail store in the States. She had been searching for the correct shade of maroon for her living room as her current curtains were torn and worn out, and just simply would not do.<p>

Being as well-known interior designer, it was evident that she took her occupation a bit too seriously. And unfortunately, Sasuke was in the middle of her a mood in which decorating is the only thing on her mind. "Here," He gestured with the pole she needed to hang her new curtains, which was funny because he couldn't tell the difference between the shades because they looked _exactly alike_.

"Thanks," She says with a smile as she installs the new curtains on the pole. He would admit, it _did_ look a lot better than the old one. But that still didn't mean they didn't look similar. He doubted anyone would care about their_ curtains_ when there were so many other valuable items that could catch one's eye when stepping into the elegant living room. "And_ there_." Uchiha Mikoto stood proudly by her latest work and laughed to herself. "That only took three months to finally put together."

Unknown to her, her son still stood by the door frame of the room, staring at his Mother knowing she had asked him to come in for a specific reason and not just because she wanted him there.

"I heard about you and a Hyuuga having a thing," She smiled as she plopped herself on their black and leathered loveseat. By then he had followed her lead and sat right next to her, knowing that things do spread like the wind in this town, and that if he had to confront one of his family members about it, he'd rather tell his Mother rather than anyone else.

Her smile grew wider, the tiny wrinkles near her eyes incredibly noticeable, but that alone didn't ruin her aesthetic appearance. "Even if it was Hyuuga Neji, it now all makes sense! I always thought you were-"

"Oh, _god no_." He immediately cut her off before she finished whatever she was going to say (And he had a feeling he knew what she was going to finish off with). "I don't like _men_." He spat. This was highly offending his ego as well as his male pride. There wasn't anything wrong with being gay, and he knew this, but he personally didn't swing that way, and it kinda pissed him off that even his own _Mother_ had her suspicions when he had made it evidently clear that he just didn't like girls that flung themselves at him.

"Are you sure? Because if you are, you don't have to hide-"

"I'm dating his _cousin_, Hinata." Well, he wasn't sure if they were _dating_, but he'd say anything to get his Mother to quit going on about sexuality and how he was lying to himself on his preferences. This was just too embarrassing and offensive to even discuss at this point.

"Are you serious! Why didn't you _tell me earlier_ that you liked her! During the dinners I would've put you two together, better yet, you could've ditched the dinner altogether to be with her! When did this happen!" She was ecstatic, and while it was encouraging in one aspect, it was uncomfortable to withstand her words all the same. While his Mother may have a keen eye for some things, she completely loses it for others. "Sasuke, _speak to me_!"

"It's none of your-"

"Mother, I doubt my little brother _wants_ to tell you anything." Itachi chuckled, walking-in on the conversation.

'_For the love of God, him too?_' Sasuke felt like punching something, or in this case, _someone_ for all this stress he did not need. On one hand, he was grateful his brother interrupted, and in the other, wanted to tell them _both_ that none of it was their business and they should stay out of his life.

Of course, while both options seemed practical, they were impossible to put into action, seeing as both of them were noisy and get easily offended, whether they show it or not. And he really didn't want _any_ more problems.

Instead of listening to his brother speak to his Mother, he felt his ears tune out their words as he got up from the couch and left the room, two pair of dark eyes trailing his back before he disappeared from their eye-sight.

He managed to hear their whispers while descending up the stairs to his, room, however.

"Do you think she could be it?"

"No doubt about that, Mother."

Sasuke couldn't help but sigh. '_He's right_.'

* * *

><p>Instead of wasting time tossing and turning in bed and staring at his ceiling as per usual, he decided to drag his exhausted (For no reasonable reason) legs towards the Hyuuga compound to visit the girl that just would not leave his everyday thoughts and dreams.<p>

It could be that Uchiha Sasuke craved her presence, or it could just be that he felt like kissing her again. Regardless, he had to see her, and wouldn't take 'No' for an answer. Not today. _Nope_. He just hoped he didn't have to interact with anyone but her in order to achieve his goal.

Thankfully, he caught her outside again. Messy bun, her white shirt stained with dirt, worn-out overalls (Why did they have to especially compliment her creamy thighs?), she had never looked so filthy and hot doing gardening than ever. He was almost terrified to approach her again, after what happened last night, considering the fact that she was practically forced to kiss him out of pity due to his skills that assisted him into tricking people to do things for him.

He was _almost_ not going to tab her shoulder as she was digging a hole in the ground with a tiny shovel, but he did. And to his surprise, he was greeted with a full-on smile.

'_Christ_.' He wanted to kiss her. Even if she smelled like shit, even if her face was powdered in dirt over makeup, even if she was dressed like one of her family's employees and not as the Hyuuga heiress, none of those things mattered because for some odd reason, she still managed to sway his breath away, doing anything she could be doing.

And to top it all off, she was also barefoot, which didn't even surprise him at this point.

"Hey," He managed to croak naturally, startling her enough to make her breathe heavily.

"Hi, S-Sasuke."

"Am I interrupting?" He didn't want to bother her. But he just really, _really_ wanted to see her. And he'd help again if she wanted him to like last time, because he had nothing else to do, and all he wanted was to be near her, and what they would be doing wouldn't matter at all.

"No, no! I was just trying to dig something up." She laughed. Her laugh was so angelic, so childish, so _her_. He couldn't picture it any other way, the sounds she made when she was happy were just so pleasant to his ears and he just wanted her to continue doing so because it was wonderful to hear.

"What are you looking for?" He, of course, was curious. He wanted to know what was taking up her time and concentration. "I could help," He added quickly. "I don't have anything else to do."

She bit her lip, holding back a smile. "I'm l-looking for this box I buried a long time ago, just to see what I buried because I can't remember."

Rolling up his sleeves higher than they already were (It was fucking _hot_), Sasuke snatched the shovel from her grasp—which caused the girl to squeak, and he had to hold back a smirk because he was glad _he_ caused her to react that way—he began to, at a faster pace, dig the hole she had _kind of _achieved.

"In exchange for helping," He said as he continued to dig the hole—which frankly amused her, because it had taken her _hours_ to just get to where she was before he intervened—"You owe me-"

"A kiss?" She giggled.

"No, _two_."

"What!" She was flushing, her lips still curled upwards. "Now you're being stingy."

"Am I not entitled to kiss you?" Oh, this was _on_. He was going to twist her words into making her feel guilty again. It was a tactic that just seemed to work on her without fail, and he was going to take full advantage of it. "And here I am, doing _your_ work, to make _you _happy."

She was dumbfounded. She had wanted to kiss him too! But she was filthy, and smelled gross, and was even too scared to check if breath went along with the overall stench she gave off to him. "But I s-stink!"

"Then shower, I can wait." He smirked at the girl that was once again flushing a darker shade of red. It just never was enough to flatter her, but to make her squirm really did make his day.

"I-"

He placed the shovel down. "No more excuses, go take a shower, get dressed, and then come back. By then I'll be done."

She was about to protest, but his arched brow silenced her, as did his eyes. "_Fine_." Getting up, she stuck her tongue out at the boy and walking past him, his eyes wandering to her figure.

"Oh, and Hinata." He called out, both hands by his mouth to project his voice.

She paused her next step and turned around swiftly. "Y-yeah?"

"The way you look right now, I _still_ would've kissed you."

Upon hearing his words, the Hyuuga squeaked and ran back into her home, without turning back.

'_Now she owes me three of them_.' He laughed bitterly as he resumed his attention back to the hole.

Would Uchiha Sasuke do these things for any other girl? Or rather, had he ever done these things to any other girl? The answers to both are no, and well, _no_.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: And thus, a long chapter! And I updated in two weeks, instead of two months! SO yeah, you could say I'm proud of myself. I had to stop myself from continuing the chapter because I thought, "They'll know what happens next if I get more reviews on this damn thing." So, you know, it's up to you whether I continue this story or not! Joking, I would still continue it, because this is probably my favorite fic I've written thus far-or second? Regardless, you should also check out "Never Mine" on my profile because it's another story I'm writing and well, yeah, the plot will be revealed in that one soon enough, and yes, I get that it can be a bit confusing, but that's only because I haven't even STARTED progressing the story. Anyways, I'd like to also address something-an anonymous reviewer commented on my use of the word 'vacuous'-I in NO MEANS used it for "dull" or to make Hinata seem like an "obedient wife" (In fact, I don't even get where you got that comparison, because, uh, I'd never write something like that lol), and just to clarify, I meant to use it for "dumb", as in, she appeared "dumb", but I won't argue this any further. If I used the word wrong, my bad, but I am too lazy to change it, so there you go, at least know I acknowledged your response and also appreciated it in order to improve my writing skills (As well as vocabulary).<em>

_I return to school tomorrow. And I'm dreading it. Will I update sooner? If you guys **review**, you bet your asses it'll be updated ASAP. _

_-personafour_


	8. Chapter 8

"You think we're stupid, don't 'ya?" Inuzuka Kiba growled, trying to look as menacing as possible, but instead looked like an upset puppy that was woken up from a nap.

To which yes, Kiba was upset, not just for feeling like this guy was treating him like a joke, but also for stealing the girl he has had his eyes on since the first grade but never intended to ever change his relationship with her—_ever_. Even so, drastic times call for drastic measures. He was sick and tired of being neglected to hang out with his favorite timid, yet spunky, friend that just happens to be the opposite sex and also the girl he would love to wife up in the near future. And who was the reason for her constant rejections?

_Uchiha Sasuke_. Over his dead _body_ would he let this motherfucker not only ruin his friendship, but also his chance at confessing his true intentions to this girl that was too blind—literally, those orbs she calls her eyes might as well should've been fogged up because she was too oblivious to notice any hints he tossed at her—for her to even _notice_ he digged her.

"_We're_?" Sasuke arched a brow, as he lifted his head to see the tan boy from above. It had been nearly a half an hour and the hole he was digging for Hinata was not only wider, but also deeper. Again, would he _ever_ allow himself to get this filthy and tired for a girl? _Nope_. And yet here he was, doing her work, to help her, because he wanted to see her expression of eternal happiness. And he _may_ have wanted to kiss her again _that_ badly, but that's beside the point.

Kiba had completely forgotten that Shino had abandoned him upon jumping the Hyuuga gates because of how utterly stupid this whole idea was to "Demand Hinata for a reason to disregard their friendship" and flinched upon being corrected by the heartthrob of Konoha.

"Can you move? You're blocking my view." He mumbled loud enough for Kiba to hear as he continued to dig. He wasn't going to take a break to speak to this loser. Not just that, but who was he to approach him in such an accusing manner anyways?

"Not until you tell me why you're digging up Hinata's yard I won't!" He protested, the tattoos on his cheeks increasing in color as his face was reddened by irritation. Who the hell was this _Sasuke_ character to act as though he was utterly irrelevant and a potential hassle?

"_Tch_." Removing his gloves and placing them on last step of the latter he was leaning on, Sasuke looked up, rubbing his forehead with the back of his hand. "You don't need to know anything. It's none of your business."

"The hell it's not! She's my _best friend_, I deserve to know!"

"Well then ask her _after_ she's out of the shower, mutt_._ Can't you tell I'm occupied? Go annoy someone else." He spat.

Baffled at the blunt and bitter response he received, Kiba stared blankly before gathering his thoughts (Along with his fist) and flung himself on to the rude man he dared to call a classmate while shouting vulgar insults at the guy that has not only tempered with his love life but also relations with the eldest Hyuuga daughter.

He was so used to violence—growing up, he was always the one that played vicious fights with dogs at his Mom's kennel, and he was so used to receiving scratches from so many on his face, that to hide all of them he got red triangles tattooed on both cheeks to prevent anyone from seeing them all up close, as well as to drain all of the blood that occasionally leaked from the constant injuries—and it was Kiba's own way of fixing his problems. If he was able to tackle hounds without dying, he was able to tackle this fucker that was stealing away _his_ Hinata.

Okay, not really _his_, but he does think he has a certain degree of authority over the petite cutie. I mean, he watched her grow! Well, they both did—together, along with Shino—but he knows her better than _he_ did! It would make sense for him to fall deeply in love with everything and all that has to do with Hyuuga Hinata, right?

He was inclined to believe that this Sasuke guy was permitted to have any relations with the girl and wasn't willing to even let the guy speak to clarify his intentions. But that was just it—his intentions were so _obvious_ and _sickening_ and the thought of Hinata hurting over his guy (Seeing as he was not only the most intelligent academically, but also the most popular and attractive by default) was just heart clenching to the Inuzuka.

He wouldn't know how to treat her right. He'd probably fuck with her and her feelings and fuck her _period_ and then dump her and proceed to the next girl. Kiba knew of these kinds of guys—he was even guilty of being _one_ of them, but refused to acknowledge that—and he didn't want her to ever be played by the likes of him. And at least Kiba was able to admit his mistakes! But throughout all of those flings he'd had, there was never a sentimental feeling for anyone else _but_ Hinata, that was a for sure fact.

He was just so _angry_. And hurt. Hurt that she noticed a douchebag like _Sasuke_ before himself. Hurt that _Sasuke _was able to catch her eye just like the many other females in this fucking town and _he_ wasn't. Hurt that she didn't want to be around him and preferred _Sasuke's_ company instead. Hurt that it only took him a few _weeks_ to be confided enough with being at her home whenever when it took him a solid _six months_ to gain that much trust from her.

Kiba felt like a piece of shit and he refused to blame her for it and instead took it upon himself to take it all out on Sasuke with his fist that was now covered in blood that wasn't his own.

Sasuke, being the usually pacifist and tolerant to nonviolence, found it extremely difficult to dodge any of the attacks from the fairly-heated Kiba in the not-quite-wide-enough-hole-for-more-than-one-person hole and decided that his morals were more important than his face and decided to not act upon with an attack of his own. Whatever this guy was upset about, he didn't know, but what he _did_ know was that it involved Hinata and instead of reaching to the low level of violence, he'd just settle for being the guy's punching bag.

"You ruined everything, you know!" He could hear Kiba growl as he resumed to punching him all over—the eye, his stomach, causing Sasuke to fall on his knees, and even kicked him wherever it was possible from his current position on top of the guy, and paused, staring back down at the guy that was not only severely bruised, but also noticed how still and neutral Sasuke looked throughout the whole thing.

It was difficult for Sasuke to balance his composure throughout it all, especially when his lower lip was busted and oozing with his blood. Using the back of his bruised and stained hand, he wiped his mouth and found it rather difficult to breathe. But all he could do was remain as blank as possible for it to end. He really didn't want to punch her best friend, because if she found them in their current situation, there was no _question_ that she would honor Kiba's side of the story and not his very own.

"Don't look at me like that, you fucking prick." He growled, standing up with that rage and bitterness in his eyes. "Why can't you be satisfied with having everyone else but her interested in you? Did you really have to go out of your way just to get her? Of _all_ people, you wanted her. Like, why the hell couldn't your ego suffice on those other chicks?"

These accusations were so inaccurate it physically burned. Sasuke coughed up some blood momentarily, and once regaining enough energy, he stood up, but did nothing but stare. Coughing again, he sighed. "She has no correlation with my ego."

"Then why are you here? Why do you think you can just fucking waltz on her property and meddle with her life and feelings? You're going to destroy her. And her happiness is worth way more than you'll ever know."

"As far as I can tell, the one who's destructive isn't me, but _you_." He snarled. "Instead of beating me to a pulp, grow a pair and fucking tell her how you feel, because in the end, there's no reason why she would ever pick someone as disgusting as you." He took a breath of air, and leaned against the wall of dirt and sighed once more. "Let me elaborate: You're utterly disgusting. I sincerely doubt she'd be interested in a guy that has never once tried to make a move on her and has known her for years. If you _really _loved her as much as you claim, you would've told her years ago. Or better yet, _now_. But don't blame me because you lacked the courage to confront your feelings with her. You think I like all the girls that like me? Wrong. And your accusations are not only incredibly stupid but I can't even pity someone that wishes _one_ girl liked him. You honestly have some nerve to even think that you have the right to tell me to fuck off. Because really, the only one that shouldn't be here is you."

"And furthermore, I have never spoken to you up until now. Any respect I _may_ have had for you is long gone, not that you care or anything. The last thing I'd _ever_ want to do is hurt her, and I think that much is clear. So for you to assume I'd purposely crawl under her skin for the sake of toying with her and then leaving is stupid." His lungs ached, his knees felt weak, and his head was hurting. This was just a fucking _drag_, to put it in simple terms.

It was as if this sudden speech that Sasuke was giving Kiba was opening his eyes. Before he could utter a response, Sasuke cut him off. "Just fucking _scram_, before she comes back, before she finds out, because unlike _you_, I won't throw you under the bus and worsen your situation with her. Now _please _fucking leave this hole, I'm not finished with it and you're wasting my time."

* * *

><p>"What the hell happened to you!" She shouted as she ran down the steps from her manor towards the bleeding Uchiha Sasuke that was subsequently laying on the ground, barely looking up to meet the shouts that awoke him from his temporarily unconscious state.<p>

He could barely hold back his smirk. "I finished the hole."

"Who cares? You're bleeding! And filthy! And-"

"And I found the box," He winced in pain as he lifted his body to sit up to reveal a rusty, tiny lunchbox he dug up once reaching his limit. "Don't worry, I didn't open it."

"Who cares, you're _bruised_!" She looked like a deer in headlights when she approached him and sat next to his body, bringing his head on her lap to stare back at her. Well, _barely_. He still had a black eye and all. "Who did this to you?"

He felt like his body was floating. He was so _close_ to her, it was infatuating. To be honest, he wanted to thank Kiba for this. Her fresh scent of shampoo washed over him, and it made his thoughts circulate. He had never felt so fucking _blissful_. Was that a word? He didn't fucking know. He knew he smelled like shit and looked like shit and _was_ shit but he couldn't help but laugh at her comment.

"What's so funny? Answer me! Who did this!"

"I can see up your _nose_." He laughed again, staring at her worried expression, how her brows twisted and furrowed along with her frown deepening at his completely irrelevant response.

"I'm serious!"

"You're so cute when you're upset. It's even cuter because you're worried about _me_," He used his finger to point to himself, and he just couldn't stop himself from laughing, _especially_ when her cheeks were flushing a darker shade of pink and her frown was larger.

"Sasuke, for the love of-"

"I don't remember who it was but he's gone so don't worry about it," He sighed. Yeah, Kiba fucking _owed_ him for this. But then again, he _could_ let it slide—after all, he was very much on the girl of his dream's lap, and that was such a price to pay. "My head hurts."

"Well no fucking shit, you're _bleeding_!"

"I'm sleepy."

"Sasuke!"

KO'D.

* * *

><p>AN: I'm the devil for leaving you with a cliffhanger but I only do this because I promise the next chapter will so be worth the wait. With that said, please settle for this one. ;A; And review if you can! Thanks a bunch for reading with this and putting up with my lack of updating. Hope everyone had a great New Year's.

-personafour


	9. Chapter 9

When he woke up, everything felt different. His back felt _amazing_, for one. He clearly wasn't on the ground anymore. He felt himself blink with his eyes still shut, and held back a yawn as he felt his limbs lift and look for something, _any_ sign that could indicate where the hell he was. He knew he wasn't home, because if he was, the feeling of dullness would surpass him and he wouldn't even bother waking up for the sake of avoiding boredom. But for some reason, he had a feeling that this place felt familiar. It smelled too sweet—not like candy (Which he detests for their sugary taste), but like nature, so natural, so green, so _fresh_—and he wasn't sure what to take out of it. When he _did_ open his eyes, his left was greeted with his location, and his right was, well, covered. And he wondered why for a moment, why he was blind in one eye, but wasn't it the other, but suddenly the events of earlier came rushing to his mind and he was greeted with a massive headache.

_Right_. He got beaten the shit out of him by no one other than Inuzuka Kiba. How did he nearly forget _that_? And he noticed the torn-up library book pages on the wall and the band posters and the light coming from the blinds, the darkness enveloping the rest of the room. He was at the Hyuuga manor still. He looked down, and noticed he wasn't in his dirty clothing, but in different clothes. Corduroy brown jeans, which fit just as good as his regular jeans, and a regular beige shirt. It was just a normal and simple outfit, and he couldn't deny that he liked it, but it still confused him how as to how he retained them.

He turned his body, and regretted it instantly as it felt like he was being pierced with pain. He was usually capable of tolerating such sharpness whenever he did anything physical, but it was more so the bruises that were bound to be prevalent for a few weeks courtesy of Kiba. But _god_ was her bed so _comfy_. It only lacked _her_ with him at this point, and if she was, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad being in this uncomfortable predicament. If she was with him, I mean. He sat up, disregarding the pain he felt, and turned his head slightly, looking for a mirror of some sort, to see if he could see the overall damage—because after all, he was bound to have to confront his family and explain what happened at some point, and it was clearly too late for him to head home looking like that anyways—and once he got up and found it, he had to hold back his laughter.

His entire right side of his face was covered (Poorly, mind you), his lip was busted but clearly not bleeding anymore, there were little to no dirt stains on his face (Someone must've washed it, he could only assume), and his nose had two Band-Aids on it. Holding back a grunt, he decided to take off all the tape off his right side, deciding he'd probably tolerate looking stupid with an eye shut over looking like some cheap-ass mummy, and dumped the tape into the nearby trash bin.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" There was really no way to put how amused he was by the look she gave him when he turned around and saw her rubbing her right eye, her body still in a ball because she was curled into one on her sofa. She let him rest on her bed and took the next best thing for him. He couldn't control the smirk that was bound to cross his face at that sudden realization.

"I looked stupid." He stated simply. "Cute pajamas." He added sarcastically. Okay, he was an asshole, and this was his own way of displaying affection—by insulting everything about her whenever given the chance. Luckily she didn't read much into it but was assured by his smirk that he was only half-joking. That little blush tinted her already rosy cheeks even more. Her pajamas shorts framed her thighs perfectly, a tank top with a bunny on it outlining her flat stomach as well.

"You're supposed to be s-sleeping," She yawned. "It's two in the morning. You can go home later."

He thought about it. _Briefly_. Because he was in fact exhausted still, but there wouldn't be any fun if he did right now. No. He was going to drag this for a bit. She owed him, and he wasn't going to let that slide.

He made his way to her and dragged her by the arm to the bed. They both plopped on it, and it felt so casual, and yet his heart was racing, and his mind was just filled with ludicrous thoughts that varied from spooning to _other _things he was free to do but she looked so nervous and confident all at the same time. The look in her eyes was of defeat, almost, but her smile totally contradicted it.

There was really no getting past her stare. He couldn't figure out just why she was going along with everything. It was practically out of her nature to go against what someone says, and he knew this, but he at least wanted her to _fight back_ or something, not be so damn submissive.

Although, being at his whim wasn't an _all_ that bad thing…

He was really at lack for words. Because even though his vision was currently half impaired, and even though he was exhausted as hell, and even though she clearly was just as tired if not more so, and that her hair was in a bun on top of her head, with some strands sticking out and her bangs framing her face, the light that was being drawn in from her curtains from the moon really captured everything he enjoyed about her.

And it truly felt like he could wake up to such a sight every morning or evening or at any hour altogether.

But here he was, struggling to do something. He didn't want to mess anything up, but he was tired of this uncertainty. Did he have permission to really _do_ anything? He didn't want it to be one-sided, or worse, to be pitied. Actually, either or sounded equally sick to him. He would prefer to avoid both.

He had to swallow the lump in his throat. He was nervous, and he could _acknowledge_ that, but he wouldn't admit it. The way her eyes glowed and the way her lashes made them look so much bigger, and the way she was fiddling with her fingers, as if he didn't notice, but he _did_, and he felt it a bit harder to breathe, and he blamed himself for feeling so weak and pathetic because he just was not _used _to being the one pursuing someone.

And he had no idea how he'd take rejection. Being one that always was the one _rejecting_, he didn't know how it'd withstand her not wanting anything further with him. And he feared how he'd react afterwards. Would he still want her in his life? No, probably not. He'd try to push her away, just as he usually did to most females, especially because he'd feel as though she was purposely flaunting everything he adored about him to get him to like her and if she had done it solely for attention and without wanting anything with him he-

'_Relax._'

He had to. He had to stop assuming the worst. He felt as though he was going to combust. Should he tell her? Should he tell her that he found her absolutely beautiful right now? That he felt stupid for thinking that? That he blamed her for it? Should he really even blame her for anything?

Breathe in, breathe out. She looked confused now. One of her eyebrows rose, as if awaiting or him to say something, to just do _anything_.

"Sasuke, are you alright?"

He sucked in the air and let it out through his nostrils. "Hn." He regained his composure, and still he struggled to find the right words. He was so irritated at this point. At himself, mainly. For being a coward. There was no possible way she'd reject him, he kept reminding himself that, only because she, too probably had no idea how to approach something like this either.

But now was the most perfect time he had. He had her all to himself. He was in the comfort of her room, the door evidently locked, in darkness, no one was awake (Or so he had assumed), and there was really nothing he had to lose.

But could he tolerate losing her to someone else if he didn't bring it up? Like, to Kiba? The thought made his stomach churn. It didn't matter that they had been friends for a bit, Kiba and her had _history_, not dating wise but it was still there. There was more of a chance that he'd bring it up if he didn't right now. And she even gave him this look of anticipation, as if awaiting something, but maybe he was giving her too much credit—she was pretty slow and naïve, after all.

He casually brought his right hand to frame her cheek, and take it between his fingers, and squeezed the flesh softly, and noted that her eyes traced his very movement, and that she wasn't giving him direct eye contact, and so with his other he lifted her chin, and her gaze fixated into his, because she had no other choice, and she was biting her lip, unsure of what was going to happen next.

"I need to ask you something." He wanted to phrase it like a question but it came out like a bitter command, so in all she had no other choice, really. She nodded with consent.

"I don't know how to explain it," He was on the edge, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to let her face go. She looked like a blowup fish in his palms, and he couldn't help but hold back a sly grin at it.

"Well, t-try," She urged. "I'll listen."

"I know you will." She could never ignore anyone, she was too much of a good listener and good person to just stop.

"What does it have to do with?" Her cheeks were flaming, and he adjusted his fingers to just trace her jawline.

"You," He sighed. "…and me."

"Do you not want to be my f-friend anymore?"

He felt it a bit harder to breathe upon hearing those words, mainly because she was assuming the worst, that he didn't want her in his life altogether.

He looked at her with a grin and laughed a bit. He wanted this to be as smooth as possible. Given, it was awkward as it is, but with her looking so confused and well, nervous, he wanted to make himself appear less of that and the only way to do that was to fluster her even more. "You're right, I don't," He said. "I don't want to be your friend anymore."

She was chewing on her lip again. Her eyes narrowed, rimmed with tears that were in the process of sliding down her cheeks. "You're lying."

"Yeah."

"Then tell me already. The t-truth, I mean."

For once, she just wasn't gullible. And it was quite adorable that she seemed so anxious.

He sighed. "It's hard for me to put it to words."

He felt as though '_Would you be my girlfriend or else I'll kill myself_' seemed way too blunt and well, insane. That was only a half-joke, too. Really, she was incredible. He wouldn't want her to be with anyone but him. But for some reason, Uchiha Sasuke was not at _all _prepared to be so _sappy_.

"Then…show me." She challenged, that permanent blush staining her cheeks.

"Show you?"

"You don't h-have to use words if you can't. I understand." She was leaning in, a small smile gracing her lips.

Being bold, he brought his hand back to her right cheek. His thumb traced her soft skin, her scent being the only thing he could smell, the proximity being so close, and he only wanted to be closer, and eventually he brought his forehead against hers, and her eyes were tightly shut, the crinkles visible at both corners of her eyes, and she's trembling in anticipation, licking her lips instinctively, and he had never felt so powerless, so _weak_, knowing that it was up to him for anything to work. He had never felt like such a weight was pounding against his spine to lean closer and to turn his head accordingly to press his lips against hers.

This was what he did to her. And everything happened so damn fast.

Aside from the simple kiss her mouth parted enough for his tongue to dart into her mouth, to meet hers, to explore it, and his hands just couldn't stop moving everywhere and anywhere. They rested on her arms, and slid down to her waist, her hips, and soon enough it didn't matter because he had pushed her against her mattress so that he was just on top of her, kissing her senseless, giving it all he had, losing his grip because he just wanted her to _feel_ what he felt.

The way her fingers latched onto his head, the way he kept whispering the lovely things he couldn't say earlier, against her throat, her ears, how his legs pinned her down and he just couldn't _stop_ taking her all in.

His ears were ringing from the low, soft pants she was releasing, his hand was exploring her stomach beneath her shirt, his kisses traveling down to her collarbones, his teeth taking the skin in and tugging it softly, the way she was biting her lip down to prevent from screaming.

He didn't even have any idea that she was capable of that, but it only was another thing to add onto the list of things he loved about her.

And before it could progress even further than it already had, he paused and stared down as she fluttered her eyes open and greeted him with a smile.

He didn't have to say anything as she brought him close with her arms and kissed him again, that smile still in place, and she tugged the covers over them both, and latched her arms around him, and mumbled a "Yes."

He didn't have anything else to say, because there wasn't a need. She understood. And he knew she would. Deep down, he knew that she understood him more than anyone else could.

* * *

><p>"I don't owe you anymore kisses." She giggled as he continued to bury his nose into his neck.<p>

They were just laying there, enjoying each other's company, absorbing the warmth radiating from their bodies. It was still late, silent, and tolerable. He was always a fan of silence, but now he was well-accompanied with it. Now, he could share it. He could share the things he enjoyed with her now, without fearing the worst.

Because now, he could open up a bit more to the only other person worthy of being permitted in. And it seemed like she was going to do the same.

"One more," He begged childishly, which only caused her to laugh even harder, although at minimal volume to avoid anyone from waking up and storming in to disrupt their session.

"Not even a p-please?"

"_Please_." Some nerve she had, honestly. _He_ needed permission to get a kiss from his _girlfriend_? That title still sounded sour whenever he thought about it, and the thought of saying it out loud would be even worse. He'd look into other terms later. For now, he could just get used to being in her company. Right now, he was just desperate for more contact with her lips because he was basically addicted to her touch at this point.

Which, while pathetic, made sense. Because everything about her was addicting, and there was no way in _hell_ someone could just assume otherwise.

To him, she was utterly perfect. And he didn't have to say anything because she could just tell from everything he had done for her told enough more than words ever could.

"Fine," She mumbled, her cheeks burning, because she was just not used to being begged, especially for something as trivial as that.

She turned her body to face his, and quickly pecked his lips.

"There-"

And then he kissed her again, and again, and _again_.

"You said only o-one!"

"I lied."

"Liar." She laughed.

"As if you didn't _enjoy _it_._" He sneered. She was just so cute. And _his_. He still couldn't wrap his head around it all. It was surreal.

She kissed him again. "Not at _all_."

* * *

><p><em>AN: I guess you all hate me for not updating in forever. A lot of shit has happened to me and in short, the best thing that ever happened to me terminated and while it's been two months since it all crumbled down, I am still not over it. I'm trying, though. This hiatus I took was more for my sanity, if you will. I tend to always abandon my fics and I never mean to, I swear. I promise to update sooner, probably within the next two~three weeks span, depending on how many reviews I am graced with for this one. It's been tough living lately, and I apologize for leaving y'all with a cliffhanger or some sort._


	10. Chapter 10

Uchiha Sasuke felt the way her breath hitched in her sleep, her hands gripping his shirt, pulling him closer to her, and in this state he _especially_ was rather against having to get up and leave the vulnerable girl he adored behind. It was excruciating—wanting to stay, but having to leave. He really, _really_ didn't want to. But just like he was brought inside to remain on her bed unconscious from his injuries, he had to leave without causing any more disturbances.

Sighing silently, he got off the bed and gave her a pillow to grip instead, averting his gaze as to not feel compelled to return into her arms.

Because he so _would have_, but he knew that if he _did_, he'd inevitably end up in an uncomfortable situation with her relatives and he _especially_ didn't want that.

Pulling open her window, he quickly climbed out, closed it shut, and walked home with a black eye and bruises to prove it, waving behind him, feeling her eyes staring into his back from the window, leaving the sleepy Hyuuga flushing.

* * *

><p>He didn't bother breaking into his own room, so decided with reluctance to walk through the front door. Knowing that only his eldest brother could <em>possibly<em> be awake this early—due to the fact that he was an editor and crammed every spare time (Including his own sleeping schedule, which was already fucked up as it were)-typing over works that his colleagues wrote apart from his own. It was a tedious job and he could tell as he paused in trance, looking into his brother's room, stacks of papers neatly organized on one side, his trashcan filled with multiple, empty coffee cups on the other.

"Good morning, little brother," He smoothly whispered, his eyes not leaving his work. Without a thought Sasuke walked into his brother's room, closing it shut quietly, as to not wake up his parents who were obviously going to give him hell for his appearance once they saw what was damaged on his face in the morning.

Sasuke only grunted his greeting as he sat on his brother's neat bed, staring blankly with the one eye that wasn't aching as his eldest brother proceeded to highlight words with a red pen vigorously. There was a reason why Sasuke _never_ asked his brother for proof-reading on his own essays for school, because he dreaded the thought of having his work stained with ink.

Itachi sipped his twelfth cup of black coffee—just like Sasuke, he detested sweet flavors of any sort—and paused momentarily before turning to his brother and threw the empty cup away, concern washing over his clearly stressed face. "What happened to your face?"

Sasuke massaged his forehead with his fingers, sighing. "The Inuzuka laid one on me over her."

He didn't seem convinced. "You didn't even try to put up a fight?" Itachi was known to be mellow and more prone to advocate for peace than violence, but if there was ever a need for self-defense, he would encourage it. And for some reason, he wasn't at all satisfied knowing some kid hurt his brother over a girl, of all trivial things, much less understanding why in the _world_ Sasuke let the guy do it in the first place. It just didn't make sense.

"If I _had_, I'd lose her."

It was such a simple, bland response, that left Itachi speechless.

His tone only assured Itachi that Sasuke wasn't the same as before. The Sasuke he knew was cold, distant, and apathetic. Not that the change was unwanted, for he always desired Sasuke to pursue his own happiness,but it was so sudden, so...unwarranted. But, he was glad. He was glad that Sasuke found something to cherish, because it was evident that the boy was still not accustomed to the idea of love and it was frankly amusing to know that Sasuke harbored feelings for someone else.

Itachi got up from his chair and approached his brother, landing his hand on Sasuke's head, and ruffled his hair.

"I told you to quit that a long time ago," He said through gritted teeth.

Itachi laughed, a smile on his tired face, the creases along his nose permanently in place. "Some habits are just too hard to break."

"Why are you smiling?"

"Because you aren't, even though you want to. Go ahead, I won't tell anyone, dearest brother."

"Tch." Turning his head, heat grazing his face, hiding the twitch of his lips as he curved upwards.

Itachi couldn't help but laugh again as he watched his brother get up and leave his room, the frown resurfacing again.

* * *

><p>His mother was irritating the shit out of him.<p>

Her long nails were digging into his cheeks as she continued to pinch them, her thin brows furrowed, eyes watery as she kept touching his face and rubbing her digits along his eye. She was crying because of the fact that he got hurt and she was the last to find out about it. His father gave him two looks over, grunted, and walked away muttering some words he couldn't directly hear but sounded much like "I have a pussy for a son," (Which he expected but nonetheless chose to ignore) and honestly, he would've preferred if his mother had reacted the same instead of _this_.

"My poor baby! Who _did_ this? Does it hurt here? _Does it?_" Her fingers kept poking his _clearly_ aching eye and so he chose to grip her wrists and push her back lightly.

"I'm _fine_." Honestly, he was. He felt better, especially knowing that Hinata was the one who helped him with most of he injuries. Really, it was good. He didn't like the attention he was getting over something as minimal as that. Course, he still had the bruise along his jaw, but he could live with that. Really. Before he left Hinata's room, that was the one spot she couldn't stop kissing. He'd injure _himself_ if he had to if it'd make her continue doing that, because really, he _loved_ it when her lips pressed against his chin. It was a wonderful sensation, and he kept tracing that spot earlier but with the way things were currently going now, he was losing the feeling all around his face due to his overprotective mother.

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that! You look a mess! I can't take you to the Hyuuga dinner tonight looking like _that_!"

He stared. There was no way in _hell_ he was missing seeing his girlfriend all dolled up. That word still made his mouth twitch whenever he thought about it. _Girlfriend_. It was so unusual for him to realize that he could actually say she was _his_. He thought it was odd how he came about it all, especially since he had little to no confidence that he would've been successful into gaining her affection and what not but here he was, trying to find it in him to _not_ smile knowing that they were an actual item.

"The hell you're not," He said sternly. There were times he wished his mother were more calm and collected instead of, well, this.

"Why are you so eager to go now? You usually hate dinners!"

Scratching his cheek, he blankly said "I didn't think I needed a reason to attend a dinner with my family."

Sighing in defeat, she released her son. "Fine, but make sure to ice that." She pointed, smiling smugly. "I'm glad you're finally understanding the meaning of family, Sasuke."

"Hn."

* * *

><p>Sasuke stared into his reflection, adjusting his slacks around his hips and tie around his throat. He was actually anticipating dinner, and was glad that he was going to see her again. Really, it had only been like, thirteen hours since he last saw her—unconsciously asleep, mind you—but that didn't make it any less thrilling that he'd get to see her again. He wondered if her family knew he was even on their property yesterday, but shrugged it off. It wouldn't matter, since both their families were on wonderful terms, and if they both told them all at the dinner tonight that they were, well, <em>together<em>, he sincerely doubted anyone would oppose.

He wondered what she would wear this time around. Maybe something that'll hug her form more, because he was missing the sight he—finally-had the pleasure of witnessing the night before of her curves and creamy legs. Speaking of, maybe she'd wear something above the knees to show them off, too. He shook his head, trying not to think of her body until he got there. He didn't want another _accident_ to happen, and would much prefer seeing the real deal then fantasizing it anyways.

"Sasuke, we're leaving," called his brother.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he left his room, palms already sweating.

He _really_ needed to talk to a doctor about that.

* * *

><p>She was breathtaking. At least, he tried to voice when they all had to greet each other but couldn't put the words together accordingly without sounding stupid. Uchiha Sasuke was <em>never<em> at loss of words, but tonight just happened to be his first time not having anything coherent to say.

The dress she wore was, as he anticipated, _slightly_ above her knees, showing plenty of legs. It was a spaghetti strap, white dress, tight around her chest but ruffled at the tips, outlining her tiny waist while not suffocating her. Her hair was pinned into a loose, low bun, bangs flat-ironed, which sort of bothered him for some reason, because he was so used to seeing them uneven and all over the place. Her lips were shining from the light pink gloss she put on, the minimal amount of makeup she applied making her eyes pop, her naturally long lashes curled to perfection to appear longer. Since this _was_ her home, he had half-expected her to be barefoot again, but instead she wore white flats that matched the entire outfit.

She was smiling at him, and he practically felt as though he was going to com-bust. It didn't help that she walked up to him and leaned forward to plant a kiss on his cheek, uttering a "Good evening, Sasuke." with such confidence that it surprised him.

Many stared in awe from the corner of their eyes, but no one paused to point fingers at the two.

Sasuke's palms felt sweaty again, and he decided to take advantage of everyone too invested in their conversations to grip her wrist tightly and walk out of the enormous living room.

He, truthfully, had no idea where he was going, but decided to lead her into one of the study rooms. He locked the door, pinning the flushed girl against it who couldn't stop smiling.

"Hey," He spoke, finally, his forehead pressed against hers. His fingers found themselves climbing up and down her arms, feeling the hairs stand up in anticipation. "You look...nice." He felt like punching himself for such a lame compliment, but she giggled and that only led him to believe that she didn't mind it.

"Thank you, you do, too." Her own arms were now wrapped around his neck, bringing their faces even closer.

"Can I?" He wanted to tell her how close he was to kissing her senseless in front of everyone, but found it nearly impossible to put the words together. He hinted with his eyes, staring at her quivering lips, noticing them smile and show off before he felt her head nod once, and took the initiative to press his lips against her in a rush, feeling the warmth he missed, trying his hardest to cup her face into his palms, hoping she didn't mind how moist there were, trying his hardest not to mess up her hair, but she was free to do it to his because in all honesty, he didn't give a damn.

It was a sensation he wanted to feel at every given moment. The way their tongues danced in unison, knowing where to exactly be without uttering a sound. She could feel the blood pool into her cheeks, both their chests brought as close as it would allow, both being able to feel their hearts pound against at the same rhythm—chaotic, uneven—how her hands slide down to his sides, sending shivers down his spine, grazing her lower lip with his teeth softly, feeling her moan in response to it.

This was heaven, and no one would fucking tell him otherwise.

"I want to tell them," She sighed when they broke apart. "W-well, I want _us_ to tell them. I don't want to hide anything."

"I can do that," His eyes closed, forehead leaning against hers, trying to regain his composure. "I don't want to hide anything either."

He could tell his words pleased her for he felt her mouth curve into a smile against his. "My brother knows," He mumbled.

"My cousin and sister know as well."

"How did he react?"

Truthfully, he was enraged. "F-f-fine," She lied lamely, causing him to arch a brow.

"Don't lie, it doesn't suit you."

"What does?"

"Telling the truth." Because it did.

"Okay, okay," She laughed, kissing that spot on his bruised jaw. It was just _so her_, to do that, knowing he loved it. "His reaction was b-borderline homicidal."

"I didn't expect anything less," Really, he didn't. Neji didn't like him at _all, _and frankly, he expected her cousin to react somewhere between angry and murderous. He kissed her dimple, her nose, the corner of her mouth.

"He'll come a-around," She she meekly, as if to lift his spirits that her cousin _could _change his posture on the matter soon enough, when she was practically lying to herself, because Neji _never_ changed his stances on things, much like her Father.

"Mm," His kisses were planted along her collarbones, light pecks that made her whole body feel as though it were on fire.

"Should we head b-back?"

"Soon," He said without meaning it, because he cupped her cheek and kissed her again, and again, and _again._

* * *

><p><em>AN: I start Senior year tomorrow, and instead of typing up my AP English essay I wrote the latest chapter in hopes that you won't hate me for taking three months to update. Sorry about it, really. I plan to update soon to aid this cliffhanger because I love being suspenseful and truthfully, this was my favorite chapter to write so far. Tell me what you think, review, etc, if I can get more I'll update sooner than you may think. -personafour_


	11. Chapter 11

Uchiha Sasuke wasn't really sure how to respond to the reactions of both the Hyuuga and Uchiha family members who took to notice to the steel-tight grasp he had on the Hyuuga heir's hand. Mentally, he tried to tell her that he couldn't help his palms being so sweaty; it came with having excessive stress and anxiety. She extended her thumb to rub his hand reassuringly, letting him know that it wasn't as big of a deal that he thought it was without verbally expressing her response.

It was her father, Hiashi, the clan's leader, who rose from his chair and brought his half-empty wine glass up for a toast. "It's about time!" He roared with a sincere grin on his face. It made the pair uncomfortable just how many other members of either families commented with agreement; did they all assume this was going to happen eventually? Did the families predict this? Did they _plan_ this? Questions like these and them some flew around in his mind, but he decided not to give them the satisfaction by thinking such things.

Instead, he gripped her hand tighter, awaiting whatever either parent(s) were going to say, though it was clear that they didn't need an approval that was already (indirectly) granted. Fugaku gave his son a thumb up, and Mikoto made it clear based off her beaming smile that she was excited. His brother was obviously in on the whole situation, but could now express it as though it was the first time he was hearing the news, much to the younger sibling's displeasure.

Thankfully, the news didn't cause as much of a topic of discussion of the two teens, for Hiashi sat back down and continued on whatever he was initially talking about as if nothing happened. The only downside of their indirect announcement of their relationship was the fact that her cousin Neji was obviously displeased (as per his grim death stare that hardly affected the Uchiha, but nonetheless a crass expression to witness), but they already expected that reaction beforehand.

"I think we can sit back down?" She whispered, cheeks still tinted from being the center of attention for a few moments. He grunted in agreement, leading her back to their seats. Once settled, his right hand rested gently on her upper thigh—which went unnoticed by everyone minus her agitated cousin.

Sasuke let out a sigh of relief.

Honestly, who knew this was going to be so easy. It wasn't like he was terrified of bringing up his newly formed relationship with his family, considering how open he was forced to be with them regardless, but it was just the matter of principle of letting them all in on his personal life—which he wasn't a big fan of.

There were just some things he would prefer to keep private. Frankly, it was no one's business who he spent his time with, but looking it from another angle, he was relieved that no one really gave much of a shit and were happy for the two, meaning that he could see her whenever and no one would stop them.

"Sasuke," She whispered, bringing him out of his thoughts. He turned to her, his eyes urging her to continue with whatever she planned on saying.

"I'm really glad they know now," She said, eyes softening. To her, this meant she no longer had to pretend as though they didn't know one another. "And I'll talk to Neji, he just needs time," she added with a smile.

He cautiously wrapped his arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer. At this, she blushed, startled by his approach to public affection, and he noticed her annoying cousin forcing a fist. He squeezed her shoulder, smirking back at the scowl he was receiving from the other end of the table.

Vaguely, but still audible, a few elders cooed an "Aw" amongst another, which only made the petite girl's face flush even more.

"Me too."

* * *

><p>Sasuke decided to take a smoke break. He never really enjoyed smoking, for he felt it was almost like a chore that wasted too much energy for so little in return, but he really felt as though he deserved this little moment to himself. Bringing the lit cigarette to his lips, he inhaled the nicotine and released the smoke through his slightly parted mouth.<p>

He spoke to soon when assuming he was alone, however, when slender fingers took the cigarette right from his parted lips and threw it to the ground, tan, leather dress shoes stomping on it until the fire was extinguished.

He didn't even have to turn his head to know who had done it. "Neji, what the hell?"

"You know Hinata deserves better than you, right?" He spat with a smirk of satisfaction. "And since when do Uchihas smoke during family dinners? You left her by herself at the table."

"You owe me for that, asshole," Sasuke mumbled, tried to alleviate the headache that this annoying guy was causing. Rubbing his temples, he turned to the long-haired man with furrowed eyebrows. "That was my last one. Cigs aren't cheap."

"Why can't you leave her alone? You're no good for her. Your _brother_ is even a better candidate for her affection than you. You are wasting your time if you think she'll buy your charade for much longer."

Ignoring the obvious stab at comparing him to his older brother—which Sasuke never tolerated and detested, but it was clear Neji knew how to press his buttons anyway so he disregarded the comparison—"What are you implying?"

"When she has to go back to the states for the winter, she won't be able to keep in touch with you. She'll be with new people, forgetting she even knew you. What, did you think that now that you were an item that things will be different? She's been doing this since she was seven. She isn't going to give up travelling for you."

"I don't think you know your cousin well enough, and I also think you forgot I'm clearly capable of affording a plane ticket. By the way, you seem to be the only one who hates my guts and I could give less of a shit so if you don't mind, fuck right off."

"Did you know that she almost had a thing with Uzumaki?"

Hearing this, the Uchiha stopped himself from heading for the door. He turned, acknowledging how pleased the Hyuuga was to his reaction. "Explain."

"He pursued her for some time, and they had almost made it official until she had to leave for winter break. Honestly, I'm not sure what the dobe was thinking. If our family didn't approve, it made it harder for her to keep a relationship. She prefers getting appraisal before being close to anyone, and I doubt things will change now. She'll forget about you, just like she did with him. And it was a brutal ending, let me add."

"I think you're just fucking with me," He coolly responded, ignoring the blood boiling within his veins. Hinata never mentioned having any intimacy with any guy other than himself. It wasn't that he would end things because of whomever she interacted with before him, but it was the principle of being honest and the decision to never mention it that annoyed him.

"Ask her yourself, then. I'm just looking out for her. I couldn't care less if she breaks your heart."

"You still owe me a cigarette," Sasuke said before returning to the dinner.

* * *

><p>"I didn't think it was important…" She started, tears forming in her eyes. He could tell it was upsetting her how pissed off he was at bringing up her previous relationship with his <em>best friend<em>, but he couldn't help his emotional reaction to the news, either.

"I would've preferred hearing it from you and not your ass of a cousin, to be honest." He said, running his fingers through his hair. Mentally, he noted he needed to get another trim; his locks were growing too fast for his comfort, but he was grateful it didn't dawn him until now to cut it because he really needed a distraction from lashing out on his girlfriend over something that really wasn't a big deal.

He really needed to work on his reactions to such pointless things; this wasn't high school (not now, anyway).

Still, he was upset, and he made it clear with the frown on his face, but it was eating at him even more that he was the reason for her frown, too.

He preferred having her smile. Her beautiful smile always won his heart, every single time he was granted permission to witness her do it. Whether it be caused by something she found amusing, or something that got her all riled up and excited, each smile was more genuine than the previous one. It was addicting.

"I was fourteen, this was before I even really spoke to you," She said, wiping her eyes. "We didn't even t-talk much! I was too nervous to do anything. I just stopped responding because I didn't think he'd still be interested if I had left for so long."

"You don't have to explain yourself; I'm not judging you for your previous relationships." He said honestly, cupping her cheek into his hand. He had dragged her back to the library of the manor because by the time he had returned into the enormous home, everyone else was socializing in the living room and the table had already been cleared (minus for Hinata waiting for him in her seat, of course).

"Are you mad at me?" She sniffled, trying her best not to cry.

He rolled his eyes. "Of course not. I'm mad at your cousin, not you."

"What did he say?"

"Do you really want to know? Or would you rather pretend he's still your favorite person?"

She shook her head, a firm frown resurfacing on her face. "He's not my favorite anymore…" She said, cheeks tinting again. "…but I want to know."

"He said you'd leave me like you did Naruto when you leave for the winter." He chuckled darkly, rolling his eyes. "I just wanted to make sure I heard your side to disregard the bullshit he tried to bring up."

"Well," She took his hand again, lightly entwining her digits with his and squeezed. "…this time is different."

"Yeah," was all he could say; there wasn't much else that needed to be said, really. "Do you still plan on going? When the time comes, I mean."

She bit her lip, before breathing out. "I'm not sure yet, Father hasn't decided. Would you mind if I had to?"

At this point there were just sitting on one of the couches, her head now resting against his shoulder. His family had left the event after much formal conversation, and it was half past eleven. Frankly, he could spend the night and no one would say a thing; it was a perk for them both to be born into such prestige families that valued one another's social status and convenient that both clans were on such wonderful terms.

"I could always just go along," He said dully.

"That would be nice," She whispers, smiling to herself. He didn't have to look down to see that she had done that; he quickly picked up on her facial expressions and when she would change them according to anything she said. It was cute.

"Would you want me to?"

"Only if you want to," She was so selfless, never wanting to ask for anything. He loved that.

"I prefer winter," He mumbles. "I like the cold. I like the breeze, I like wind, all of that."

She laughed quietly. "I was born in January, but I never stay to celebrate, I always leave. I don't like the cold…it always makes me feel alone."

"You're not alone anymore."

* * *

><p>Word spread like wildfire in Konoha. The following day, Sasuke woke up to twenty messages from four people; Naruto, Sakura, Ino, and even Lee, which was confusing to him for he never exchanged numbers with the guy (must less spoke more than two words to the guy).<p>

He scrolled, eyes aching from being so tired.

'_Teme, you didn't tell me you and Hinata…you kno~...'_

'_Sasuke! Is is true? Naruto told me but I'm not sure if he's just making shit up again.'_

'_You've found love, and thus you've found the true meaning to youth! Congrats!'_

Rolling his eyes, he slide the messages and cleared them off his phone.

He forgot one from a special person, however.

'_Remember how you said I wasn't alone? You lied. I was alone in bed._'

He smirked, fingers pressing his screen lightly to respond.

'_If you had asked me to I would've stayed, but you wanted me to go instead_.'

Almost immediately he had received a response. At this he arched a brow, confused as to why she was up so early.

'_You're supposed to stay anyway, Sasu.'_

He smiled, typing a last response before his lids shut and he got lost in his sleep again.

'_Next time I won't mess up._'

* * *

><p><em>AN:_ It's been a year since I updated! ...and I'm ashamed. I should be working on my project for my Speech class, but I couldn't stop thinking about Naruto, given the ending (which was horrible on some many different counts but mainly because Hinata and Sasuke had so much potential)...). I'm probably gonna update my other stories soon, too, before I write an AU based off the actual manga, and my ideas have been flowing in my head so we'll see if I end up sticking to this plan. Thanks to all of you for giving me a chance to write, for reading what I write, for reviewing and giving me your opinion on my writings, lately I've been battling with my own depression and sometimes I go check the reviews on my stories and instantly light up from joy to know I've impacted so many of you. Plus, I get easily flattered and get all warm inside n_n.

I will try to be more consistant!

Yours truly,

personafour


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